Liverpool’s clash with Brentford on Saturday is a big game for many reasons, as the Reds look to avoid consecutive Premier League defeats.

The Bees are in really good form under Keith Andrews and have not lost a home match since February. Liverpool, on the other hand, are yet to really get going this season, with Andoni Iraola still trying to figure out his best XI.

Ngumoha has been free to sign professional terms since August, but conversations are dragging on, leaving the door dangerously open to an exit. Up until now, the feeling has always been that the 18-year-old would stay with the Reds, but his playing time has reduced somewhat in recent weeks after a lukewarm start to the season.

In order to keep Ngumoha interested and convinced that the pathway is there for him at Liverpool, Iraola has to get the balance right here. That does not mean he always has to start, but Ngumoha was brilliant in midweek against LASK, delivering a performance which deserves to be rewarded with another place on the teamsheet against Brentford. If he does not get that, it is easy to see how the youngster could begin to lose faith in his future at Liverpool.

Ngumoha must start against Brentford

Obviously, Ngumoha is still so young and there is clearly no need – and no rush – for him to be in Liverpool’s best XI just yet. To be fair to the former Chelsea prodigy, he seems to be on the same page with that, and has so far seemed happy with the trajectory of his career at Anfield.

But as discussions over a new deal rage on in the background, the next steps will be right at the forefront of his mind. He has had a fast rise so far, but he – and more importantly his representatives – will be aware of the risk of stagnation.

It is still early in the season to say that his progress is being stifled by Iraola and his tinkering, but if his good performances are not rewarded, there may be some legitimate concerns there.

Load management is, of course, a very real thing in Liverpool’s condensed fixture calendar, and that is perhaps the only defence Iraola may have here. But Ngumoha should now be capable of making two starts in four days, and he should not be ruled out completely on those grounds.

If he does have to settle for a place on the bench, then he could legitimately question what more he has to do to be given more chances. That is not a headspace Liverpool will want him to be in as they try to tie him down to a new deal.

Ngumoha did start Liverpool’s first game of the Premier League season, away at Newcastle, but he has not been in the league XI since then. Victor Munoz has regularly been preferred, and the Spaniard has done well at times, but he is yet to deliver anything as good as Ngumoha did against LASK. That should be the blueprint, and it should yield another start.

There is room for both players in the team that starts at the Gtech Community Stadium. Though he has done well since coming in, Lewis Koumas should not be a guaranteed starter away at one of the toughest and most physical teams in the league. Instead, Iraola should start Munoz centrally and keep Ngumoha in the right-sided role he looked so capable in on Wednesday. Bradley Barcola is a certain starter on the left.

The story of Koumas could also begin playing into Ngumoha’s situation. The 21-year-old has his qualities, but he is undoubtedly far less talented than Ngumoha, and if he is starting Premier League games ahead of the winger, then questions can – and probably will – start being asked.

Iraola should be picking his team in West London based on the best one he has available, not depending on off-field situations. On both counts, though, Ngumoha deserves to start. If he does not, Liverpool may soon find themselves on a slippery slope which culminates in one of the best young players on the planet looking elsewhere to fulfil his potential.