Barnes asks for patience on teen Rio

RIO Ngumoha must be given time to “grow slowly”, according to former Liverpool star John Barnes.

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The 16-year-old, who posed for a photo with Barnes when he was just seven, was the Reds’ stoppage-time match-winner in a feisty encounter at Newcastle on Monday night.

He is the fourth youngest player to score in a Premier League fixture, but said after the 3-2 victory he will not get “carried away with all the noise”.

Barnes agrees, and believes Liverpool is the perfect place for him to develop.

“I've heard about Rio for quite a while now,” Barnes said.

“I'm friends with his house family, where he has been since he moved up from London. My friend told me a while ago he had this boy coming from London to live with him and then he actually showed me a picture of me and Rio when Rio was about seven years old in the underground in London.