Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann admitted that he prioritized Germany’s national players over Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch at Bayern Munich. Gravenberch faced a tough time at Bayern under Nigelsmann, fighting for the starting spot against midfielders Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.
The 22-year-old joined Liverpool from Bayern during the summer of 2023 as part of the midfield revamp under Jurgen Klopp. Gravenberch struggled to adjust to the Premier League in his first season, plagued by nagging injuries and inconsistent game time.
Nevertheless, the Dutch international showed many glimpses of his quality on the ball and vast maturity despite his young age. He played as a first-team regular at Ajax and enjoyed a pivotal role in their success until the Bayern move.
Speaking to Sky Germany (via Express), Nagelsmann admitted the complicated situation involving the 22-year-old at Bayern during their time together. He said:
“He’s doing it perfectly. But I expected this development because Ryan is a smart boy and a brilliant player. It was complicated for him at the time because we had Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in midfield. I was the new coach at Bayern and it wasn’t easy to put players from the German national team on the bench. For Ryan, it was a new situation that he had to get used to because he had almost always played from the start at Ajax before.”
Gravenberch has established himself as the key player for Liverpool under the new head coach Arne Slot. The 22-year-old has maintained his high level of consistency in performance as the new number six for the club.
However, Gravenberch struggled to impose his authority on the Netherlands game against Nagelsmann’s Germany which ended in a 1-0 loss. Germans targeted the left midfield and attacking third of the Dutch side that played the game without Virgil van Dijk.
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Nevertheless, the 22-year-old’s performance for Liverpool highlights the mistake Bayern made by not utilizing him properly. Nagelsmann’s admission isn’t surprising since many managers let favouritism plague them, leading to their downfall at times.
The Kopites will thank Nagelsmann’s error in judgment as his preference for German players allowed Liverpool to capitalize and sign a fantastic talent. A player of Gravenberch’s potential cannot cost less than 100 million pounds in the current market as we have seen with Arsenal’s signing of Declan Rice and Chelsea’s signing of Enzo Fernandes and Moises Caicedo.
