After being left out of England’s 23-man squad for the clash with Spain over the weekend, Rio Ngumoha will now be hoping to earn valuable minutes after being included in Thomas Tuchel’s latest Nations League matchday squad.
The highly-rated 18-year-old received his first senior England call-up this month after previously being involved in a training capacity ahead of the summer World Cup. His rapid rise has continued to attract attention, with his development accelerating following his breakthrough campaign last season.
Ngumoha’s inclusion comes at the expense of O’Reilly, who has been forced to withdraw from the squad through injury. The youngster completed the full 90 minutes against Spain, providing an assist but also making the error that ultimately allowed the world champions to get back on level terms.
O’Reilly was absent from England training before the squad travelled to Prague, although the full extent of his injury has yet to be established. Liverpool will be monitoring the situation closely, particularly with an important Premier League fixture against Manchester City approaching on October 11.
Liverpool are scheduled to welcome Manchester City to Anfield in their first match after the international break. City will head into the encounter with strong momentum, having won their last five matches and currently sitting at the top of the league.
However, one City defender’s recent lack of starts could also become a talking point ahead of the Anfield showdown. The left-back has not started any of City’s last three league matches after featuring in the starting XI during the opening two games of the campaign.
Maresca has instead opted to use Josko Gvardiol at left-back, with Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias operating centrally and Matheus Nunes filling the right-back position.
City will also be without Phil Foden for the Liverpool clash following the straight red card he received against Manchester United earlier this month. Antoine Semenyo is another concern after withdrawing from international duty with a leg injury.
Liverpool, meanwhile, could have their own selection problems. Alexander Isak is dealing with a thigh issue, while Cody Gakpo has suffered an ankle problem, with both players returning early from international duty.
With several players potentially unavailable on both sides, the fitness updates over the coming days could have a major bearing on team selection when Liverpool and Manchester City meet at Anfield.
