'Special' Reds player will benefit from reshuffle against Everton with only third start of the season - opinion

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rousing the Kop or go back to LFC Live.

Arne Slot is having to rethink his attack for Liverpool’s Merseyside Derby clash against Everton on Sunday, with Rio Ngumoha likely to benefit.The Reds will definitely be without Hugo Ekitike, who could now miss the rest of 2026, while a decision will have to be made on whether Alexander Isak can start again.Liverpool have been warned that Everton will go in hard on Isak, and with Slot needing to keep the Swede as fit as possible for the run-in, he must start Cody Gakpo centrally against the Blues. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Nick Taylor/Clive Brunskill/Allsport Ngumoha likely to benefit from Liverpool reshuffleThere is, of course, a chance that Slot decides Isak will be fine to go from the start at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

But Liverpool badly need him for the five remaining fixtures after Sunday, and it may not be the game to put early minutes into his legs.Slot hinted that Gakpo and Federico Chiesa are Liverpool’s central options behind Isak during his pre-match press conference, and having looked sharp through the middle against PSG, Gakpo is surely the better choice.The Dutchman has had a difficult campaign, and there will be supporters who do not want to see him in the team at all.However, his switch away from the wing opens things up for Ngumoha to slide in and make back-to-back Premier League starts for the first time. It will be richly deserved.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: ‘Exciting’ Liverpool academy star could earn rare chance vs Everton after Hugo Ekitike blowThe 17-year-old was once again a bright spark from the bench against PSG, and with Liverpool needing to get at a slightly one-paced Everton backline, Ngumoha will certainly be a popular choice.It has been a season of steady progression for the youngster, and a start in a must-win Merseyside Derby will represent the latest milestone of what looks set to be a stellar career.Are there any other options for Slot?If Slot does decide that Isak can start at the Hill Dickinson, it is hard to see Ngumoha also playing from the beginning.Gakpo’s seniority will likely be preferred on the left, with Mohamed Salah on the right in his final Merseyside Derby appearance.

Are Liverpool in danger of blocking Rio’s pathway with a new signing this summer? Slot has confirmed that he no longer sees the teenager as a young player, but more just a senior player that he can pick in any game.That is bad news for Chiesa, who would no doubt love to be given the chance to play in his favoured left wing position, but the Italian has not shown anything to deserve a start ahead of Ngumoha.The key to this, then, is Gakpo, and whether Slot feels Isak is better going from the start or finishing the game.If Ngumoha does come in, though, there is a real chance for the youngster to put in another big performance and finally nail down his place in the team for the rest of the season.