The former Liverpool striker, speaking to Football Presse on behalf of Best Betting Bonuses, was asked about the growing debate surrounding Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha potentially heading to the 2026 World Cup.
“I think that I’d put them in the same category,” he said. “Very promising players, exciting, extremely talented.”
Collymore, who enjoyed a prolific Premier League career in the 1990s, pointed to the dangers of fast-tracking young players into senior tournament football.
“I remember years ago… Theo Walcott was taken to a World Cup as a youngster, and it just doesn’t sit well,” he added.
“For me, it would be a no for either of them because to parachute two youngsters into a senior group… I think that puts a lot of pressure on them.”
Both players have surged into the spotlight this season. Dowman, still only 16, became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history with a stunning strike for Arsenal, while Ngumoha, 17, has broken through at Liverpool with senior goals and standout performances.
Collymore believes there is a better pathway for their development than a major international tournament.
“If they’d been around the camp, played some Under-21s, then maybe,” he explained. “But for five or six weeks, it’d be a little bit too much.”
Instead, he pointed to the UEFA Nations League as the ideal stepping stone.
“If they start next season well… then I think that the Nations League would be a better landing platform for them than the hurly-burly of a World Cup.”
Collymore also offered insight into Ngumoha’s long-term position, suggesting the Liverpool youngster is best suited to a wide attacking role.
“He comes off that left-hand side and drifts in and shoots,” he said. “For me, it’s a wide forward… left side of a three suits him absolutely down to the ground.”
With England entering a new era and both teenagers already impacting at senior club level, the excitement is undeniable—but Collymore’s message is clear: timing matters as much as talent.