27 September 2023 , 05:00
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Ryan Gravenberch has already impressed Liverpool fans with his performances so far, but Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf believes there is much more to come from the midfielder ahead of what could be his first Anfield start on Wednesday.
Signed from Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich in the summer for a fee of £35million, Gravenberch has arrived at Anfield with a point to prove after a desperately disappointing season at the Allianz Arena last term. The 21-year-old lasted a solitary campaign with the German giants before swapping the red half of Munich for the red half of Merseyside.
Tipped for big things at boyhood club Ajax, where Gravenberch established himself as one of the most promising midfielders on the continent, his career stalled while at Bayern. In his only campaign at the club, he failed to complete 90 minutes in the league and did not register a league goal or assist.
However, things have got off to a promising start at Liverpool, and ahead of Wednesday's Carabao cup tie against Leicester City on Wednesday Seedorf has responded to one fan comparing him with the current Reds ace. “Hey, as I said before, everybody is unique," the former Real Madrid and AC Milan ace told Futbin.
"Ryan started early, he is the one who broke my record at Ajax as the youngest player to make his debut with Ajax. That comes with great responsibility, of course.
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"He’s on the way. I believe in him. I think he can make a great career, Just let him do his part. Everybody has their own destiny."
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp echoed a similar sentiment when news of Gravenberch's move to Anfield was made official on deadline day. "Really happy to bring him in because he’s an exceptional talent," the Liverpool manager explained. "Everybody knows that. He is 21, played over 100 games for Ajax already."
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Ryan Gravenberch has made a promising start to life at LiverpoolKlopp did address Gravenberch's difficulties at Bayern, but insisted the struggles were normal for someone of his age. The midfielder does not turn 22 until the tail-end of this season, which means he is some way from operating at the peak of his powers.
"[He] Had a, I wouldn’t even say difficult season at Bayern because in that age group it’s completely normal; you go into a world-class team and he had his minutes and stuff like this," Klopp added.
"But how Thomas Tuchel said today in the press conference in Munich I think, the position he is best at, they don’t really have in their system. We have that – that’s good. We have a lot of games to play."