Thomas Tuchel has delivered a clear World Cup message to Liverpool’s Rio Nguhoma, as England prepare for some friendly matches during the international break.
Zero Liverpool players feature in the latest Three Lions squad announcement, with former Reds faces in the form of Jordan Henderson and Jarell Quansah selected, alongside plenty of representation from the other top Premier League clubs.
Rio Nguhoma will surely fancy his chances of a senior England opportunity very soon, with the Anfield starlet already capped eight times at U19 level for his treasured nation.
It would be an almighty step-up from the U19 age bracket to featuring for Tuchel’s men at a senior level, as he possibly rubs shoulders with the likes of Harry Kane and many other attacking superstars down the line.
Yet, he hasn’t looked out of his depth in the Premier League this season, when given chances to shine by Arne Slot, with a dizzying 12 dribbles successfully pulled off across March, despite regularly being used as a late substitute.
Nguhoma’s eye-catching numbers for the 2025/26 season:
| Category | Statistic |
| Total senior appearances | 22 |
| Premier League goals | 1 |
| PL minutes played | 219 mins |
| Dribble success rate | 74.1% |
| Passing accuracy | 84.6% |
| Chances created | 9 |
These eye-catching performances, alongside the fact that he already has a Premier League goal in his back pocket, will mean Tuchel has the teenager in mind when making future squad announcements, with the German refusing to rule out the possibility that Nguhoma could be jetting off to the World Cup in the summer.
What Tuchel has said about Nguhoma
A quick glance at Tuchel’s camp indicates that the ex-Chelsea manager isn’t afraid to throw in some youthful choices, here and there.
Indeed, Lewis Hall has been called up, despite only being 21 years of age, as he continues to have a fine season at Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.
Of course, Nguhoma is a tender 17 years of age, so it would be a very bold call from the Three Lions boss to chuck him into the senior spotlight, but he hasn’t ruled it out.
He said, when quizzed about potentially selecting Nguhoma, and Arsenal’s own teen sensation in Max Dowman: “Why should I rule that out?
“Rio has a good season in Liverpool now and is making his way into the team.
“Max is making his points on the highest level, so why would we rule anything out?
“It’s March and we leave in June, we have to name our squad in late May, so everything is possible.”
Noted as being just “what we’ve been crying for” by ex-England great Gary Lineker, too, in terms of being a quick, hard-to-predict attacker, Nguhoma will fancy his chances of earning a shock World Cup call-up if he continues his sparkling Liverpool form.
If a World Cup chance doesn’t come his way this summer, he also has plenty of time on his side to become an England regular.
