During the first of their two pre-World Cup friendly matches, England faced New Zealand on Saturday. It was a match of little incident as Thomas Tuchel gave 22 players game time to help his squad acclimate to the US weather and pitch conditions.

In the end, a single goal from Harry Kane, who headed in a winner moments before half-time, was enough to settle things. As it was more of a training exercise than a real match, Tuchel seemed mostly happy that his players had come through the 90 minutes unscathed.

However, fans watching at home could not help but notice the lively cameo from Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha. He isn’t in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup, and will not feature even if injuries force Tuchel into making a change from his original 26-man team.

Rio Ngumoha Among Four Youngsters In England Supplementary Group

It’s not uncommon for a handful of players to travel to a World Cup despite not being in the actual playing squad. This is to help make up the numbers during training and is particularly useful for Tuchel right now as Arsenal contingent Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze have arrived at the camp later than the rest of the team due to their participation in the Champions League final.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson will also join them, delayed after winning the Conference League with Crystal Palace. With those men absent, Ngumoha is among a small group – along with Alex Scott, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri – who have travelled as supplementary members of the England squad.

Against New Zealand, Ngumoha, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team. On what was a pretty drab affair, he was arguably the brightest player on the pitch during the second half. He was even named as the Man of the Match.

As such, some fans were pleading with Tuchel to call him into the senior squad as a late addition ahead of the World Cup. However, this is not a possibility, and so the Liverpool starlet will fly home with the other youngsters after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 10 June.

Why Ngumoha Won’t Be in England’s World Cup Team

Of course, it would be very harsh to suddenly drop a player in favour of Ngumoha. But many may hope for an injury to open up the door for a teenager. Even if this were the case, Tuchel would still have to look elsewhere for a replacement. This is because he was not called into the provisional 55-man squad submitted to FIFA by England. As per the Mirror, the strict FIFA eligibility rule explain:

As Ngumoha was not included on that initial 55-man list, he cannot be added to the tournament squad under any circumstances. The same goes for Fulham and Arsenal duo King and Nwaneri. In fact, there is only one player from the group of four youngsters who could make it in at this late stage: Bournemouth star Alex Scott. He was named in the preliminary 55-man party, making him eligible for a late promotion should injury occur.

England have until 24 hours before their opening match against Croatia to make any changes should injury or illness befall anyone in the 26-man squad. After the tournament begins, FIFA rules state that only goalkeepers can be replaced in the event of an emergency.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has made one major mistake with his 2026 World Cup squad selection, according to fans, following Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win over New Zealand.

Tuchel made several controversial calls while naming his 26-man squad last month, leaving out global stars including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The German tactical, who was appointed as Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor in October 2024, believes he’s assembled a squad who are all “100% committed”, “ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch” and “who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish”.

Tuchel named two different XIs either side of half-time at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, where the ‘shameful’ prices being charged for drinks left fans dismayed.

Harry Kane, a leading contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, scored the only goal of the match shortly before the interval as the testing temperatures and poor playing surface affected England’s game.

Fans Fear Tuchel Has Made Squad Selection Error

Aside from another goal for Kane, plus the clean sheet, the biggest positive for England was the eye-catching performance of Rio Ngumoha who, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team.

The Liverpool starlet posed a constant threat down the right flank with his pace, skill and directness. A fearless performance, Ngumoha deservedly received the Player of the Match award on his England debut. Watch his highlights below:

However, the teenager is not part of England’s 26-man World Cup squad. The gifted winger is one of several youngsters who are gaining experience before flying back home before the tournament begins.

Fulham’s Josh King, Marseille’s Ethan Nwaneri and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott will also leave the England camp after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on June 10.

Fans believe Tuchel has made a big mistake by not including Ngumoha in the final World Cup squad based on the evidence presented during Saturday’s warm-up win over New Zealand.

“It’s an absolute travesty that Noni Madueke is on that plane ahead of him,” one fan commented on X (Twitter), while another said:

A third fan commented: “Thomas Tuchel not adding Rio Ngumoha in the World Cup squad is absolutely not brilliant, you just cannot afford not to add that kind of quality player,” while a fourth added: “Rio Ngumoha was unbelievable tonight, best player on the pitch. Just a shame Tuchel would rather have Madueke in the squad. Hugely disappointing.”

While a fifth supporter posted: “Rio on his England debut, what a baller. Tuchel, you are making a mistake, he’s better than all the wingers in England’s squad.”

Ngumoha made 19 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He also made four appearances in both the Champions League and FA Cup, plus two more in the EFL Cup.

Tottenham are set to complete another summer signing after securing the signature of Andy Robertson, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It’s been a strong start to the summer transfer window for Spurs, which is no surprise after such a disappointing season.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side needed to invest in their squad, and they’ve wasted no time in trying to bring new additions to the club.

If Tottenham want to head him back in the right direction, they need to bring in reinforcements this summer. It looks as though they’ve already got two deals over the line.

Robertson was recently confirmed as their first summer signing, joining the club on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool.

Tottenham Close to Second Summer Transfer

According to Romano, Tottenham are now set to secure another signing after it was confirmed that Robertson would be joining the club.

The respected journalist has confirmed that Tottenham have now completed a double free transfer signing, bringing in Robertson and Marcos Senesi, who joins the club on a four-year deal.

Despite various rumours, Romano confirms that there is no chance for anyone to hijack a deal for Senesi after he said yes to Spurs weeks ago and completed a medical on Saturday.

Strong Start to Window for Tottenham

Bringing in both Senesi and Robertson ahead of the summer transfer window is a strong start for Tottenham for multiple reasons.

Both players have been playing at a high level in the Premier League and will instantly improve their squad, if not their starting XI.

They also have plenty of experience, both in general and in the Premier League, which is what Tottenham need after a disappointing few years.

Spurs have signed a host of young talent from around the world over the last few years, so adding a bit of experience will be beneficial.

Whether the duo will start every week remains to be seen, but there’s a strong chance they will be crucial signings for Tottenham.