There are moments in pre-season that tell you something. Not everything, but something. And watching Rio Ngumoha come off the bench to score the only goal in Liverpool's 1-0 win over Wrexham at Yankee Stadium, deployed on the right wing rather than his favoured left, felt like one of those moments.

The 17-year-old has spent most of his career on the left. That is where he started in Liverpool's opening pre-season fixture against Sunderland. But Andoni Iraola shifted him across against Wrexham, and Ngumoha did not just cope — he contributed the decisive goal. More tellingly, he has now confirmed it is something he has been actively developing.

"I've been working on it in training anyway, playing on the right and the left," Ngumoha said. "Just being unpredictable really."

That word — unpredictable — is doing a lot of work there. It is exactly the quality that makes wide forwards dangerous, and it is exactly what Liverpool will need from whoever ends up lining up on the right side of their attack this season and beyond.

The context matters here. Mohamed Salah departed this summer after nine years, trophy-laden and goal-laden in equal measure. His absence leaves the biggest vacancy in English football, arguably. Liverpool have already moved to bring in Victor Munoz from Osasuna in a £34.5m deal, but the club's ambitions in the market stretch considerably further than that.

Bradley Barcola is the name that has been gathering serious momentum. Liverpool have held preliminary talks with the Paris Saint-Germain winger's representatives and, crucially, have received encouraging signals from the player's camp about a potential move to Anfield. The Reds are now understood to be ready to open formal negotiations with PSG directly. The stumbling block, if there is one, is the price tag — Barcola is valued at well over £100m by the French champions.

Barcola is, predominantly, a left-winger. And that is where the dots start to connect. On the very same day Liverpool's interest in the PSG star was accelerating, Ngumoha was being handed the right-wing berth in pre-season. Coincidence? Possibly. But Liverpool do not tend to do things without thinking them through.

Ngumoha himself is not being coy about it. When asked directly whether he sees himself as an option on the right, his answer was unambiguous.

"Yeah, definitely," he said. "I think being unpredictable off both sides is key. Obviously, everyone knows I can play on the left, but on the right I feel like I'm improving and I'm getting better. So, yeah, definitely off the left and the right this season."

For a teenager, that is a remarkably composed and self-aware assessment. There is no false modesty, no bluster. Just a clear-eyed recognition of where he is and where he wants to go.

What is also striking is how settled Ngumoha appears within the Liverpool environment. Joining a dressing room full of established professionals as a 17-year-old is not easy, but he seems to be taking it in his stride.

"All the lads are treating me like I'm a professional player. Obviously, I'm still young and I'm learning, but all the players have been top. It has been good," he said.

Iraola, meanwhile, has made his demands clear from day one of pre-season. Pressing is the foundation.

"Pressing. We like to press high — so any duels we can win, we can go at full speed," Ngumoha explained. "And then on the ball, when I get the chance one-v-one, take it on. If not, look, come back and keep playing. Goals and assists as well."

That is a demanding brief, particularly for a teenager still finding his feet at senior level. But Ngumoha's performances so far suggest he is not just coping with those demands — he is embracing them.

He was equally candid about his own ambitions for the season ahead. Pre-season is not just about fitness and tactics. For a young player on the fringe of the first team, it is an audition.

"On from the end of last season, I just want to play and start as many games as I can," he said. "These games are a really good showcase to show the manager, because it's a fresh start for everyone. It's really important and it's good."

That hunger is exactly what you want to hear from a teenager with his ability. And Ngumoha's England debut earlier this summer, where Thomas Tuchel also chose to use him on the right wing, suggests that coaches at the highest level see genuine potential in him operating on that side.

Whether Barcola arrives and takes over the left flank, whether Ngumoha establishes himself on the right, or whether the picture looks entirely different by the time the season begins — there is still plenty to play out. But one thing is becoming clearer with every pre-season day: Ngumoha is not here just to make up the numbers, and Iraola clearly knows it too.