Arsenal starlet Max Dowman makes feelings clear on Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha

Arsenal starlet Max Dowman has made his admiration for Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha clear after he netted in their 4-1 friendly win over Athletic Bilbao - calling him "the coldest" in a social media post.

Ngumoha - who is still just 16 - is being tipped for great things after impressing for the Reds during pre-season, scoring three times so far and making a real case for being involved in Arne Slot's first team squad this season.

He first caught the eye in a 3-1 friendly win over Preston last month before dazzling during Liverpool's pre-season tour in Asia - and his performance against Bilbao has only strengthened calls from fans for him to be integrated in the 2025-26 campaign.

And Dowman, 15, who is another fantastic youth prospect for Arsenal, lauded Ngumoha after his latest strike. In an Instagram post, he uploaded a picture of Ngumoha celebrating his goal against Bilbao alongside a caption which said "the coldest".

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Dowman and Ngumoha know each other well after playing together as team-mates for England's youth sides.

Just like Nguomha, Dowman has also featured for his club during pre-season after being involved in Arsenal's own tour of Asia after being entrusted to play in friendlies against AC Milan and Newcastle despite his tender age.

The new season might be too soon for Dowman to be introduced fully into the first team, but Ngumoha has every chance at Liverpool - particularly if the club do not end up signing striker Alexander Isak.

Speaking about the player's impact this summer, manager Slot said: "Rio is showing things every time in pre-season.

"We’ve only played two games over here and we haven’t played against Premier League opponents yet, but I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising.

"Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that’s something else.

"But he’s definitely a player who shows that if he keeps bringing these performances in, it definitely won’t be the last time he plays a few minutes for Liverpool. It’s all about consistency. He needs to show it every single day we’re on the pitch.

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