The Reds missed out on their top transfer target this summer, but a forgotten man is helping them swiftly get over this disappointment
"We’ve seen this four or five times in the game where he just opens those legs up and runs away from people. [Kobbie] Mainoo has to bring him back [and] gets the yellow card. It’s almost [Patrick] Vieira-like."
That was Jamie Carragher's take after Ryan Gravenberch got the pundit's tongue wagging with a dominant display for Liverpool against Manchester United. The Dutchman had just helped new Reds boss Arne Slot pass his first, proper test since taking over at Anfield with flying colours, starring in his side's 3-0 demolition of United at Old Trafford. Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah may have got the goals, but this game was won in midfield.
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Gravenberch were all sublime: a fluid but rock-solid pyramid that drove their United counterparts into the ground. After the game, Carragher took the opportunity to poke fun at a particularly bold claim that partner-in-crime Gary Neville made ahead of the game. "Would you still not swap midfields?" he jibed.
We are used to witnessing these sorts of performances from Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, who reached similar heights during their first season at Anfield. But with Gravenberch, his eye-catching display – and excellent start to the campaign in general – came as more of a surprise.
AFPFuture of Dutch football
Indeed, Gravenberch's recent career has been a tale of unfulfilled potential. There was a time when he was hailed as the future of Dutch football. In 2018, he became Ajax's youngest-ever Eredivisie debutant, beating the legendary Clarence Seedorf's record by over 100 days as a 16-year-old.
In the seasons that followed, he established himself a first-team regular, helping Erik ten Hag's side to successive league titles in 2021 and 2022, scoring in the Champions League and following Frenkie de Jong, Christian Eriksen and Matthijs de Ligt by winning the Johan Cruyff Trophy, a prize awarded to the best Under-21s player in the Netherlands. He received international recognition too, making Frank de Boer's squad for Euro 2020.
Comparisons to footballing icons were common, with Paul Pogba among those mentioned as a reference point, due to both players' blend of technical and physical prowess as well as their ability to occupy multiple midfield roles seamlessly. Gravenberch wasn't afraid to encourage these lofty expectations either.
"I see people comparing me to such celebrities as a compliment and doesn't put me under any extra pressure," he said to . "I think I should try to be myself. Ten years from now, if young footballers are told they look like Ryan Gravenberch, then I've done well in my career."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWasted potential
It was always a question of when, not if, Gravenberch would tread a familiar path by leaving Ajax behind for one of the continent's big boys. And after a couple of summers of tussling, Bayern Munich would emerge victorious in that particular transfer battle in 2022.
Gravenberch claimed he didn't take long to decide on Bavaria as his next step, immediately vowing to "win lots of titles". The club were perhaps even more enthused by the transfer, though.
"He's one of the biggest talents in Europe, has superb technical ability, always finds solutions in tight spaces, is very dynamic and a goal threat," sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said at the time. "The fact he’s chosen FC Bayern shows that he’s convinced by us as a club and the opportunities here. We love players with that mentality. We’re confident that we’ll enjoy lots of success with him."
But as it turned out, that confidence was misplaced. Gravenberch went from one of the first names on the team sheet in Amsterdam to scrapping for playing time on the bench. In the end, he would make just four Bundesliga starts, while minutes in the Champions League were even harder to come by. Despite Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich enduring their worst seasons in recent memory, both Julian Nagelsmann and his replacement Thomas Tuchel were simply not convinced he warranted a larger role.
Gravenberch wasn't happy either, venting his frustration to at the end of that season. "I expected to play more minutes than I did. I thought I would get some more chances… I told everyone that I don’t want another year like that. Of course, you can’t always be in the starting XI, but you can still play regularly – you can get a lot of minutes."
Getty Images SportMore of the same on Merseyside
A few months after these pointed comments, Gravenberch jetted off to Liverpool for, in his own words, "a fresh start". The final piece of the Reds' much-discussed midfield rebuild, following the arrivals of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, he experienced similar struggles during his maiden Anfield campaign.
There were moments of promise, particularly in the Europa League, but on other occasions he failed to influence proceedings in any meaningful way. Jurgen Klopp summed up his 2023-24 season perfectly in February, saying: "He had outstanding performances where he was Man of the Match for us internally and other matches where you think ‘where was he actually today?'"
This inconsistency is not unusual for a player still developing, but there was a feeling that the current campaign represented a significant moment for Gravenberch. He was even tentatively linked with an Anfield exit this summer. Fortunately for him, it appears things are finally starting to click under Slot.
Getty Images SportUnlocked by Slot
One of the main reasons Liverpool hired Slot this summer was his track record for improving players. It may still be early days, but there's been plenty to suggest that this knack will be continuing at Anfield.
Diaz, long derided for his lack of composure in front of goal, has already scored three times following intense one-to-one work with the Reds boss. Szoboszlai, meanwhile, has been liberated, showcasing his explosive dribbling ability and leaving his poor end to the season in the rearview mirror. And then there's Gravenberch, who's flourishing in Slot's 4-2-3-1 system.
Fielded alongside Mac Allister in a double pivot, but with license to roam, his reinvigoration began right from the first whistle of his side's Premier League opener against Ipswich Town. During that victory, Gravenberch used the ball better than any other Liverpool player, completing nine passes in the final third and setting Salah free in the build-up to his side's opener.
His manager was left satisfied, with his deployment in a nominally deeper role initially raising some eyebrows before kick-off. "Ryan is attacking-minded, but if we play with him [in defensive midfield], the rest of the team needs to help him as well… But what we do know with Ryan is that he can play the ball forward if he sees options to do so. So, that helped us today, especially in the second half."