Klopp's verdict on Gravenberch speaks volumes after controversial decision

06 October 2023 , 08:45

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Klopp's verdict on Gravenberch speaks volumes after controversial decision

Jurgen Klopp has lavished praise on Ryan Gravenberch after the midfielder scored his first Liverpool goal in Thursday night's 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise.

Gravenberch, 21, joined the Reds from Bayern Munich during the final few hours of the summer transfer window after months of speculation linking him with a move to Anfield. And after being eased into life on Merseyside, the Dutchman is starting to make an impact.

The midfield maestro broke the deadlock after ghosting into the perfect position to tap home his maiden Reds goal. Diogo Jota sealed the victory in injury time, but it was Gravenberch who was singled out by Klopp for special praise after the match.

“I think it's really obvious how good he is, what a talent he is,” Klopp said. “He's enjoying the situation, enjoying himself, that's very important, (he) gets step by step all the confidence back, that's really cool to see.

“We wanted to give him 90 minutes, but then we saw now he dropped a little bit and didn't want to go there [with] any risks so that's why we brought on [Dominik Szoboszlai] for a few minutes. Everything goes in the right direction, that's really helpful.”

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Gravenberch's strike means he has now contributed a goal or an assist in each of the three matches he's started since completing his £34.2million switch from the German champions. He previously bagged assists against LASK in the Europa League and Leicester in the Carabao Cup.

Join the debate! What have you made of Gravenberch's start to life at Liverpool? Let us know here.

Ryan Gravenberch has started to make an impression at Liverpool (Getty Images)

The youngster's desire to hit the ground running at Anfield led to him pulling out of international duty for the Netherlands Under-21s last month. The decision was questioned by senior boss Ronald Koeman, while U21 chief Michael Reiziger revealed he had personally informed Gravenberch he was making a mistake.

Speaking last month, Reiziger said: "No, I don’t think it’s a good decision. That’s what I told him. I really don’t think it’s a good decision. I know Ryan, I think he’s a good boy, a nice guy, but he made the wrong choice."

But while the decision was scrutinised, it has already paid dividends for Gravenberch, who has managed to quickly establish himself at his new club. That feat is even more impressive considering he is competing with fellow summer signings Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a spot in the team.

After his imperious performance in midweek, Gravenberch will be pushing for his first Premier League start this weekend when Liverpool travel to Brighton on Sunday.

Dan Marsh