Liverpool: Ryan Gravenberch’s rise to ‘one of best midfielders in Europe’

Gravenberch’s renaissance at Liverpool has placed his name among Europe’s elite in his position, and Murphy has no doubts about his status.”Last season he was the best in his position in that number six role,” he said.”Rodri missed virtually the whole season with Manchester City. He had been the best in Europe for four or five years.”Gravenberch was the best in the Premier League last season, and he has started this season in the same vein.”Arsenal fans will talk about Martin Zubimendi. Chelsea fans will talk about Moises Caicedo. Gravenberch has got more tools – more capability of doing things further up the pitch – than those two.”Gravenberch’s struggles at Bayern had his admirers in the Netherlands fearing he might be a lost generational talent. Instead, he is now Liverpool’s driving force and will be a key figure in national coach Ronald Koeman’s World Cup plans.Van der Kraan said: “Amazingly, everyone in Holland thought the talent given to him when he was young – people thought he had lost it.”There was one former player, Rafael van der Vaart, who played at Ajax, Real Madrid and Tottenham, who said at the worst time of Gravenberch’s career, ‘He’s better than Jude Bellingham’.”Everybody laughed. Van der Vaart was absolutely ridiculed. Now this week people mention that and say, ‘Maybe Van der Vaart was right after all’.”Bellingham is a world-class player, but Gravenberch is up there with him.”As for the Netherlands team, the midfield has been a very strong area, almost overloaded, but I guarantee this boy will be in that three in our 4-3-3 at the World Cup with Frenkie de Jong and Tijjani Reijnders. This is the ideal midfield.”Murphy is convinced Gravenberch, who became a father in August, belongs in elite company, saying: “If I was asked to describe him, I’d call him a playmaker, a holding midfield player who has freedom to get forward. I wouldn’t call him an attacking midfielder player any more.”Vitinha at Paris St Germain and Gravenberch are the two best holding midfield players in Europe.”Few, using Gravenberch’s current form as a measure, would disagree.



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