I coached Rio Ngumoha – what Liverpool wonderkid did at youth tournament speaks volumes

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But not for Saul Isaksson-Hurst, a former youth coach at the West London clubs' academy, who was his under-9s manager at Chelsea while the forward progressed through their academy ranks.Now an individual skill development coach, he continues to work closely with footballers around the country and isn't surprised that the 17-year-old is hitting the headlines.He told the ECHO: "(He was) just unbelievable in terms of his ability to move with the ball, break lines, beat players, just electric. Ngumoha is among the best he has seen.He said: "He’s right up near the top [players that he’s coached].

He is a great talent with loads of potential, in terms of someone who's got the potential to do everything in the game, he's got it all."I remember we were at a tournament in France and we didn't do that well, actually. We went out and won in the early rounds but we were playing against Ajax, Juventus and all the big clubs in Europe."But he still won player of the tournament and I thought it was amazing, because especially in youth football they always give it to one of the winners, but he was that good, even though we didn't t win the tournament, that they still gave him player of the tournament."That's what it's all about, going to a tournament in Europe and standing out, even when your team's not doing well, still looking like the best player easily amongst the best clubs in Europe."It has been an underwhelming season for Liverpool as they failed in their Premier League title defence.

Performances haven't been helped by a significant drop in form from the likes of Salah, while new signings have been hampered by long-term or recurring injuries.With six matches remaining, Liverpool have the safety net of fifth place for Champions League qualification but the pressure is on to see out the job and finish the season well.A win over Everton would be a significant boost to their aspirations to maintain their place at Europe's top table, but their poor performances this season illustrate the fragility.For Slot, as well as pressure surrounding his job, he has been forced to field questions surrounding Ngumoha's involvement. It's great to see him doing it at a top club like Liverpool."I think Rio has the potential to be a Ballon d'Or winner, he's one of the best young players in European football.