Liverpool midfielder James Balagizi appeared in a friendly against Blackburn Rovers at U21 level this weekend, while Rio Ngumoha provided an assist in a non-competitive game in Kirkby.
Balagizi played in the Premier League International Cup in January but he has only made two U21 appearances in the league this season because of a hamstring injury. Here, he played 90 minutes and found the back of the net with what proved to be the winner.
Ranel Young, set up by Ngumoha, had earlier opened the scoring around 20 minutes in the game. Joe Boggan pulled one back for the visitor, but Liverpool could have won by more goals with Kieran Morrison and Trent Kone-Doherty missing opportunities to score.
Last season, Balagizi was on loan at Wigan Athletic in League One and Kilmarnock in Scotland but didn’t nail down a place. His most successful loan was at Crawley Town, where he played 16 times.
During the international break, Ngumoha scored a brilliant solo goal against Northern Ireland. That was when he was representing England at U17 level; he scored twice and assisted once in the rout. He also came off the bench against Israel and Slovenia.
There are just three Premier League 2 games remaining for Liverpool’s U21s this season. Next up is a trip to Brighton on April 6, before a home match against Leeds United on April 13 and a trip to Aston Villa on April 18 close out the season.
Liverpool.com says: Ngumoha is a really exciting winger and while he is raw, his talent is clear. It needs honing substantially before he is ready for senior action on a regular basis but there is a real player in the making there.
Balagizi has been incredibly unfortunate with injuries over the last couple of years. He is another with real talent but he just needs to stay fit and get regular game time somewhere. That probably means a move away permanently when the season comes to an end.
