A Star in the Making? Liverpool’s Michael Ngoo

After scoring for England’s Under 19s, along with Jonjo Shelvey, against Slovakia in mid week, I though it might be interesting to profile Liverpool’s Michael Ngoo. At 17 years of age, the Reds striker still could be described as a bit of a raw talent. His aerial presence and his finishing abilities however persuaded Rafa Benitez and his coaching staff to sign the player from Southend at the start of last season. At the time, Ngoo had been on trial with Manchester United and had played for their youth team, impressing in last year’s Milk Cup in Ireland. Liverpool however beat United to his signature and they signed the player in September 09 for a fee that could rise to as much as £250,000 depending on his progression at the club.

At 6ft 4, Ngoo’s aerial threat is no doubt one of his main attributes and his physical presence really strikes fear into opposition defences at Under 18s level. His height and his very lanky demeanour have earned him comparisons to Peter Crouch. Southend’s Centre of Excellence manager Luke Hobbs commented last year on Ngoo:

“Michael has improved so much during the last 12 months. He is effective in the air and a good finisher. Michael is a coach’s dream. When Dean Austin, (Reading assistant manager and ex-Southend reserve team coach), watched this team play against QPR before Christmas his opinion was that Michael was very similar to Peter Crouch when Crouch was a scholar at Tottenham and Austin was a pro there. Michael is a player with so much potential.”

Unlike Crouch though, Ngoo also possesses some pace, something the former Liverpool striker lacked. This ability to go beyond people combined with his aerial presence gives him an all round package physically that will get him far in the professional game. Physical attributes are not the be-all and end-all of measuring a footballer’s abilities though, and as Luke Hobbs states above, Ngoo can also finish. During the Milk Cup last year he impressed many opposition scouts who were watching the Manchester United youth team, and his great technique, ball control and eye for goal also impressed; something which must have attracted the interest of Liverpool.

As with all the youngsters, his signing from a smaller Football League club could have been troublesome. Premier League clubs in the past have been accused of poaching players from smaller teams, but there was no such trouble over Ngoo’s signing. The youngster had signed a scholarship with Southend at the end of the 2008/09 campaign but hadn’t signed a professional deal. After impressing in the Milk Cup, Liverpool offered Ngoo a trial and after delighting the youth coaches with his abilities, the Reds offered to buy the player. It was pretty straight forward according Shrimpers’ head of youth Ricky Duncan:

‘Liverpool were excellent from the word go. Obviously we would have liked to have kept the player but when an opportunity like this came along for him we couldn’t stand in his way. I think Michael first came to Liverpool’s attention in the Milk Cup where he played well and scored a few goals. After that Liverpool got in touch with us and offered him a trial. Then they made us an offer which we thought was a fair price.”

The player had a good first season with the Liverpool Under 18s after he signed last September. He scored his first goals against Blackburn Rovers in October and impressed alongside Lauri Dalla Valle as they thrashed Leicester City 5-1 in the FA Youth Cup in January, sharing four goals between them. Although he didn’t score as many goals last season as he would have liked, he is still progressing well with his finishing improving. He hasn’t started his campaign with the Reds yet as he was off on international duty with the England U19s, and it will be interesting to see whether he can carry on his form with the national side into this season with Liverpool.

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