Liverpool teenager travels with England before tournament
Rio Ngumoha will not be eligible to play at the upcoming World Cup, even after receiving a surprise invitation to join England’s group before the tournament.
The Liverpool winger was among a number of young players who travelled with the Three Lions to Miami on Monday. However, the 17 year old was not included in the final 26 player squad selected by head coach Thomas Tuchel for the finals.
England needed extra numbers in training because players from Crystal Palace and Arsenal were due to arrive later following their European final commitments. Ngumoha was joined in the wider travelling group by Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, Fulham’s Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri, who spent the season on loan at Marseille from Arsenal.
FIFA rules leave Ngumoha outside the squad options
Despite being part of the training setup, Ngumoha cannot be added to the official World Cup squad if England suffer an injury blow. Of the young players who travelled, only Scott could be promoted, as he was named in the provisional 55 player list that had to be submitted to FIFA last month.
Tournament regulations state that a player must have been on that initial list to be brought into the main squad. Teams can still make changes due to injury or illness, but only until 24 hours before their opening match.
England begin their Group L campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17. Once their World Cup campaign has started, only goalkeepers can be replaced if injury or illness forces a change. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele has also travelled with the squad as a training goalkeeper.
Ngumoha still has chance to impress Tuchel
Although he will not be able to feature at the World Cup, Ngumoha will still hope to make an impression if he is used in England’s two warm up matches.
The Three Lions face New Zealand on Saturday in Tampa before taking on Costa Rica next Wednesday in Orlando. Those fixtures could give the Liverpool teenager a chance to show why he was brought into the group.
For Liverpool, the situation means the club will not have a player in England’s squad at a major tournament for the first time since 1986.
