In a testament to Reece James’s captaincy, Liverpool prodigy Rio Ngumoha shared how the Chelsea skipper has been helping him with England.
Rio Ngumoha’s departure from Chelsea’s academy to join Liverpool is already looking like a mistake.
Opting for a fresh pathway, the highly-rated winger immediately justified the move, experiencing a rise through the ranks at Anfield. Quickly fast-tracked from the under-18s, he made 29 appearances across all competitions in the 2025–26 campaign, scoring two goals and assisting one.
Called up to the England senior camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup for the friendlies, the 17-year-old made a senior debut against New Zealand, becoming the fifth-youngest player ever to represent the Three Lions. Coming on for the second half, Ngumoha put in a Man of the Match performance.
Realistically, how much is Liam Delap worth?🤔
Rio Ngumoha praises Reece James’ influence
Talking on the England YouTube channel, Rio Ngumoha has spoken out about just how influential Reece James has been helping him both on and off the field with England.
“One player that’s really helped me I’d say is, Reece James, especially yesterday, he was just guiding me through the game, helping me because, right wing, I’ve played there a couple times this season.
“But it’s not my natural position. I say I can obviously play there. Um, but it was just helping me, just telling me to keep going every single time there’s opportunity, just take on the man.
“If not, you know, I’m always here to support. So, Reece has definitely been helpful.”
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Put the bias aside!
Reece James’ influence has been felt at Chelsea too
Shim Mheuka has already spoken out about Reece James helping him behind the scenes at Cobham, which is the type of leadership that fans don’t normally see.
“Definitely. I’ve always looked up to players like Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba because of their passion, mentality and leadership. Being around Reece James has helped a lot too. Watching how he leads, how he prepares and how he treats his team-mates has been really inspiring for me.”
Especially after all the leadership issues Chelsea encountered this season, it’s great to see that the Blues still have players like this around the squad.
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