Gary Lineker identifies Rio Ngumoha trait Liverpool star shares with Kylian Mbappe & says England have been 'crying out' for talents like Reds winger & Arsenal's Max Dowman

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker offered a glowing appraisal of Ngumoha’s technical ceiling. While cautious about the weight of expectations, the legendary striker noted specific similarities to Kylian Mbappe, one of the world's best players. "I’m not comparing him, but he’s got that stop-start sharpness of Mbappe," Lineker remarked. "He’s got enormous potential. He went close a few times. He was really special, and I’m surprised he went off."

He then praised both Ngumoha and Dowman for their bravery, noting: "The two of them, Dowman and Ngumoha, are players that we’ve (England fans) been crying out for. Players that will beat players, that can go past people. They don’t want to just regurgitate the ball and knock it around. They want to take chances. These sort of players, on occasions, it won’t happen for them. But I love that they’ll be brave enough, and hopefully they’ll continue to be encouraged to attack, to take people on. That’s what football fans love. It’s so exciting to see that young talent. And two young English kids – amazing.”

Micah Richards, Lineker's co-host, echoed the praise, saying: "They have a chance now to be anything they want to be. They’re playing with the likes of [Bukayo] Saka, [Cody] Gakpo, [Florian] Wirtz. These are international players they can learn from. To get to the very top, you have to eat right, you have to train right, recover right. You have to make sure that you have the right people around you and enjoy it.”

Another challenge for both starlets is managing the intense media scrutiny that follows such breakout performances. For Dowman, the test lies in staying part of an Arsenal side that is currently chasing a Premier League title, with Arteta likely to be protective of the youngster's minutes during the high-pressure run-in. Ngumoha, who already has a senior goal to his name from earlier this season, will be looking to earn more starts as Liverpool balance domestic duties with European commitments.

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