Former Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt backs Ryan Gravenberch to succeed at the club
Liverpool wrapped up their summer transfer window for 2023 with the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. That makes it four signings over the window which includes Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, all midfielders.
Gravenberch is the youngest of this lot. At 21 years of age, the Dutchman has great potential to explore and light Anfield with his performances in the middle of the park. The last year though, was one he would not want to get a repeat of as he struggled for game time at Bavaria under Julian Nagelsmann initially and then Thomas Tuchel.
However, former Red Dirk Kuyt has high expectations of Gravenberch and backs the former Ajax midfielder to succeed at Liverpool. The player also excluded himself from selection for the Dutch U21 team this international break to get up to speed with his new club and the process of things on Merseyside under Jurgen Klopp.
Here is what Kuyt had to say about Gravenberch while in conversation with bettingsites.co.uk via ECHO:
“First of all, he’s a very intelligent player,”
“He was unbelievable at Ajax. He always managed to play at a very high level at a very young age. He then took the next step at Bayern Munich – which got me very excited as it proves he could play with the best in Europe”.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t get the game time he expected there. When I heard the rumours about him going to Liverpool I was very excited. I think he’ll definitely fit into Jurgen’s team and I expect a lot from him.”
Being a Dutchman himself, Kuyt would understandably know more about the Gravenberch situation than the average football enthusiast. The player is massively talented indeed and was brilliant in the two group-stage games against Liverpool for Ajax back in the 2020 edition of the UEFA Champions League. Gravenberch is an amalgamation of the skillsets the Reds need in their midfielders.
Gravenberch for the Reds
First of all, is his versatility to play as a 6 or an 8. That would allow Jurgen Klopp to rotate his players effectively and make tactical tweaks as per the situation. That coupled with his ability of progressive carries and long-distance shooting is all complimentary for the Reds.
With Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai of course, the idea would most probably be putting Gravenberch behind these two offensive-minded players who would drop between defenders and leave the space behind for Gravenberch to hoove and take those long shots on goal.
For any top-quality central midfielder, passing has to be of utmost importance, and the case with the Dutchman is no different as that is one of the better aspects of his game.
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Hopefully, Gravenberch can live up to the expectations of his compatriot Kuyt, Liverpool fans, and above all, exceed what he demands of himself in the iconic Liverpool jersey.
