The 2024/25 campaign has started better than most expected for Ryan Gravenberch at Liverpool as the Dutch star has turned himself into a pivotal player at Anfield since the arrival of Arne Slot.
The midfielder completed the £34.2m move to the Merseyside club last summer from Bayern Munich but his debut campaign did not go to plan.
Gravenberch would see just 1121 minutes of action in the Premier League across 26 appearances as the player was not a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp. The 22-year-old is on course to smash those minutes as the Netherlands international has already accumulated 630 minutes within the Reds’ opening seven league matches.
The former Bayern Munich has had his Liverpool career turned around by the arrival of Arne Slot and the Dutch coach has turned his fellow countryman into a beast at the heart of the Merseyside club’s midfield.
There is an argument that Gravenberch is Liverpool’s Player of the Season so far and the Dutch talent has unveiled what Slot has done to help him reach his current heights.
“The coach gives me confidence and puts me in charge,” Gravenberch told ESPN. “I just do my own thing. The things I did at Ajax, I do now too.
“I discuss everything with him. It’s mainly about football. We spoke last season and then it’s also about life.
“I have a good relationship with him and I’m very happy that he’s here. We think the same. He loves football and building from the back. That suits me very well.”
Ryan Gravenberch sets a new goal for Liverpool career
Gravenberch also revealed that he is on course to achieve the goal he set for the 2024/25 campaign as all the Dutch star wanted to do was play more than the previous season.
“I’m at a top club now, Liverpool,” the midfielder said. “I played a lot more last season than the season before. That was my goal.
“This season my goal is to play even more than last season and I’m well on my way.”
Gravenberch is one of Slot’s biggest success stories at Liverpool so far and it will be interesting to see if the former Ajax star can keep performing at his current level over the coming months.