THERE'S NO 'I' IN TEEN

Van Dijk's squad plan to nurture 'incredible' Rio

- By John Cross

VIRGIL VAN DIJK believes Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha has all the ingredients to have a “fantastic career”.

The Reds skipper was full of praise for the 16-year-old’s mentality, determination and down-to-earth attitude, which means he will be straight back into training after his moment of glory.

Ngumoha, who turns 17 on Friday, struck in the 10th minute of stoppage time to give Liverpool victory in a five-goal thriller at Newcastle on Monday night. He is now Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer, beating the record held by Ben Woodburn, who was 17 years and 45 days old when on target against Leeds in 2016.

Ngumoha’s winner marked him down as the Premier League’s latest whizzkid after 15-year-old Max Dowman made his topflight debut for Arsenal last Saturday.

It is now a young man’s game, although it takes something special for even the best prospects to progress into a team as good as Liverpool's.