Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey believes Rio Ngumoha could be the man to step into Mohamed Salah's role on the right wing — with one significant caveat: the teenager must first rewire his footballing instincts.

Ngumoha, 17, has caught the eye during pre-season and academy fixtures, and Liverpool's coaching staff have already been testing him on the right flank. The platform is there. The question, according to Heskey, is whether the youngster can adapt his natural game to meet the demands of that position.

"Possibly, I'd like to see it. Only thing is he needs to change his thought process because he's generally a left winger. So as long as he can change that, he's dangerous," Heskey told BetWright.

Heskey also pointed to Ngumoha's dribbling ability as a weapon that could unlock defences in ways that go beyond individual brilliance — pulling markers out of position and creating space for teammates to exploit.

"I know that when you get a player that can dribble the way that he dribbles, inevitably it will pull players from other positions and gaps start to be had. And that's when you can start creating the overloads, etc., in different positions," Heskey added.

The former England international was, however, measured in his expectations. Replacing the goal output that Salah produced at Anfield over so many seasons is a standard no teenager should be held to immediately.

"He's definitely one that looks very, very promising for the future. The only thing is, we can't expect the same goal tally Mo gave us from Rio. We won't get that," Heskey said.

Liverpool's wider search for reinforcements

Liverpool are still reportedly monitoring Paris Saint-Germain forwards Ibrahim Mbaye and Bradley Barcola as they assess options to strengthen the right side of their attack. With Ngumoha still developing, the club appears keen to bring in senior support around the teenager rather than hand him the burden of replacing Salah alone.