Rio Ngumoha is set to sign a new long-term contract with Liverpool and their latest match-winner could do so as early as this week.Despite Ngumoha becoming Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer on Monday night with his stunning winner at Newcastle, the 16-year-old is still only playing as a scholar.Though now formally into the second year of terms he signed on making the move from Chelsea last summer, that will not remain the case for long.Ngumoha is poised to put pen to paper on a new contract with Liverpool and that will be his first professional deal.Players are only eligible for a professional contract after they turn 17, and the club will seek to tie their No. 73 down either on or soon after his birthday on Friday.The maximum length of a first professional contract is three years, meaning Ngumoha is likely to sign with the club until 2028.But there will be plans in place to extend that further still, with there full faith in not only the winger’s potential but also his immediate value at first-team level.Such is the belief in Ngumoha that Liverpool have not entered the market for a direct replacement for Luis Diaz following his £65 million move to Bayern Munich.Instead Cody Gakpo has remained first-choice left winger, with Arne Slot considering Ngumoha as genuine cover along with natural No. 10 Florian Wirtz.Ngumoha repaid that faith with a goal on his Premier League debut which earned Liverpool what increasingly looked to be an unlikely three points at St James’ Park.Having made clear his ambition to win the Ballon d’Or in the future – and conviction that he will do so – there could have been concerns over Ngumoha’s motives as a young player.But there is a sense that the youngster is firmly switched on and focused on his development at Liverpool, with that drive showing in his post-match interview with All Red Video.“I’m 16 but I don’t want my age to show that I can’t play with the older players,” Ngumoha said.“I want to prove a point that I can play with not just people my age but many ages above.“But there are people at the club who are always helping me and I’m always learning and improving, so I can’t complain.”