Arne Slot praised Ryan Gravenberch after the Liverpool midfielder delivered an outstanding performance in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Netherlands international excelled at the base of Liverpool’s midfield
He contributed to a dominant display as Mohamed Salah added a third goal to Luis Diaz’s first-half brace, securing a third consecutive win for Slot in his initial weeks as head coach.
Liverpool had attempted to sign Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi earlier this month for £51 million, but the Spain international decided to stay with his boyhood club.
Consequently, Ryan Gravenberch has been entrusted with the role of the deepest midfielder, alongside fellow summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who have all featured in the team’s three matches so far.
When asked about his confidence in Gravenberch’s ability to excel in this position, Slot offered a glowing endorsement of his Dutch compatriot’s potential.
“His quality on the ball could be my first answer,” Slot said.
“But coming from the Netherlands we all know how good he is with the ball.
“He can be a really important player for our build-up game.
“But what impressed me most when I started working with him was how much he can run and still how good he is when he arrives in the duel.
“Today you saw with him, Dom and Macca how much they can keep on running.
“Sometimes you are late and they just kept on running and arriving in the duels.
“That’s the one thing that impressed me most about him, how good he is also without the ball.
“Only three games have been played, only games from Sunday to Sunday, there’s still a lot for us to prove.
“I don’t want to be the one that spoils everything, but two years ago was the last time we played in the Champions League and we all know how that season ended.”
Slot added: “With the ball we were hoping we could find every time one of our midfielders open or free.
“But while these three played a very good game, they need their centre-backs to play the ball through the lines and to be close to them when they can’t arrive.
“When that happened, Ibou (Ibrahima Konate) was there and Virgil (van Dijk) was there, every time stepping into midfield defensively also.
“It was a team performance and, you know me a bit now, it’s always about the team and then the individual can show themselves.
“All 11 of them and the ones who came in played a very good game but there’s no coincidence as the team played really well.
“There is a lot to prove for us, if we play a difficult game in the Champions League and still be good during the weekend.”
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