Rio Ngumoha has enjoyed a sensational start to the season at Liverpool, with Jamie Redknapp heaping praise on the teenager after another stunning display in the Champions League

Jamie Redknapp has revealed how Liverpool wonderkid Rio Ngumoha used to train in his back garden during his time at Chelsea, admitting he has never seen a player work so hard on his craft. The 18-year-old winger stole the show at Anfield on Tuesday evening, producing a man-of-the-match performance as Liverpool fought back to secure a thrilling 4-3 Champions League victory over Villarreal.

Ngumoha played a crucial role in the Reds' comeback, providing two assists as he continued to make his mark on the first team. The youngster has enjoyed a more prominent role in the senior squad this season, making three starts in the Champions League and one in the Premier League.

Before making the switch to Merseyside, Ngumoha spent eight years in Chelsea's academy, where Redknapp had the opportunity to closely follow his development. The former Liverpool midfielder has now opened up about the significant influence Ngumoha's brother had on his progress, revealing that he still has footage of his intense training sessions saved on his phone.

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"When Rio was about, my son was at Chelsea with Rio, and I used to watch him in games and training, and his brother. It was interesting to listen to Daniel Sturridge yesterday," Redknapp said on the Overlap.

"I like Daniel a lot, but he was talking about how he’s got God-given talent, and it just stuck in my mind, and I went, he has, of course, he’s been given something, he’s been given balance and technique, but I’ve never seen anyone work harder on their game than what his brother did with him.

"His brother used to do individual coaching. And he used to come over to the house sometimes and we’d do sessions, get him in the garden for an hour, and Rio would go through cones. Honestly, you’ve never seen anything like it.

"I look back at the videos on my phone; it’s like someone’s put it on fast forward. It’s just going through these cones. So explosive. And his brother was so good at doing it. And don’t get me wrong, it’s like anything, you could have two brothers, me and my brother.

"My dad would go to me, ‘Go in the garden, do your keep-ups,’ I’d go in the garden, do 1,000. Mark would go, ‘Ugh, can’t be bothered.’ You’ve got to be dedicated. You’ve got to be so driven, almost a little bit..."

Former Liverpool striker Sturridge praised Ngumoha's natural talent on Tuesday, describing his ability as 'God-given' while speaking to Amazon Prime: "Rio Ngumoha was magnificent tonight. Such a threat, and he dedicated himself to his tasks.

"On the ball this kid has so much potential, and I say kid, but he's a young man. He has so much quality and it’s stuff that you can’t teach to be honest.

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"What he does with the ball at his feet, that is God-given ability, and his hard work on the training pitch, doing things day in and day out, and being ruthless, is what he said in his interview, and I like that. He wants to be decisive, and I love that about him."

Reds boss Andoni Iraola was also full of praise for Ngumoha following his impressive display, highlighting the teenager's willingness to learn and adapt to a new role on the right wing. "I'm really happy with Rio, not because he played really well, because I think he’s trying to improve everything that we try to correct," the Spaniard said.

"Attitude-wise, he’s ready now. We've changed a little bit. He's playing a lot more on the right, he was very used to playing on the left and he has adapted very, very well. He hasn’t lost the threat of going one vs one, getting inside the box, even finishing with the left foot.

"We encourage him always, because I think he's good also there. Even defensively, he struggled a little bit in the first-half, but second-half was much better and he's becoming a more complete player. Still 18, don't forget he's still 18. But level-wise I think he's facing very good opposition and he's doing very well."

Ngumoha made the switch to Liverpool in the summer of 2024 despite receiving a scholarship offer from Chelsea. The youngster opted to continue his development in the Reds' academy, initially joining the Under-18s before gradually breaking into the first-team setup last season.

He has already earned three caps for England and has attracted interest from Arsenal and Bayern Munich, but is in talks over signing a new contract to stay at Anfield after his breakthrough over the last 12 months.