Rio Ngumoha has not been named in England’s matchday squad for Saturday’s Nations League opener against Spain at Wembley (19:45 BST).
The 18-year-old Liverpool forward was included in a full senior England squad for the first time by head coach Thomas Tuchel earlier this month, but he will not be part of the group that takes on the reigning world and European champions.
Ngumoha’s introduction to the senior set-up came during the summer, when he was one of five supplementary players to travel with the England squad for their pre-World Cup training camp in Florida. He was then handed a debut in a 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand, impressing during a second-half cameo and becoming the fifth youngest player to represent the Three Lions.
His rise at club level has been similarly swift. He became the youngest player in Liverpool’s history to start a first-team match when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley during the 2024-25 season, and he followed that by scoring a stunning late winner on his Premier League debut in a 3-2 win at Newcastle.
This season, Ngumoha has made three league appearances for Liverpool, only one of which has come as a starter.