Rio Ngumoha surpasses Michael Owen record to make Liverpool history vs Brentford

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Rio Ngumoha made his 19th Premier League appearance for Liverpool when they took on Brentford over the weekend.The 17-year-old has been one of the very, very few positives to come out of this season, so it is easy to see why many may wish to see him start a lot more moving forward.But even if Liverpool supporters don’t think he has had enough game time in 2025/26, the teenager does now have the most Premier League appearances of any Red prior to their 18th birthday. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Gaspafotos/MB Media).

Rio Ngumoha has most Liverpool appearances when under 18Amid injuries to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz in recent weeks, Ngumoha has featured in Liverpool’s last three league matches.After starting against Chelsea earlier this month, he drew level with Raheem Sterling for English top-flight appearances while under 18 (17).Then, last time out against Aston Villa, the Englishman matched the record (18 appearances), which had been held by Michael Owen for many years.But after Arne Slot started him against Brentford on the final day, Ngumoha has surpassed Owen to claim the record for himself. Why did Curtis Jones not celebrate his goal against Brentford?

Is this confirmation that he's leaving in the summer? Very strange 🤔 Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool’s transfer concern caused by Rio NgumohaRio will now travel with England ahead of the 2026 World Cup for some training sessions before getting his head down and preparing for what could be a bigger role in the 2026/27 campaign.Liverpool like Bradley Barcola of PSG, but as was the case in the summer of 2025, they have concerns that signing the Frenchman could block Ngumoha’s path into the first team.However, that should not be a concern for those in a position of power at Anfield.Cody Gakpo could be dropped or sold to make room for Barcola, who can also play off the right if needed.And given that Mohamed Salah and possibly Federico Chiesa are leaving this summer, there should be plenty of room for both Ngumoha and the PSG talent to feature on either flank.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox