Clarence Seedorf knows a thing or two about playing in midfield, so Liverpool fans will be delighted with his assessment of their new midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.
Ryan Gravenberch has already impressed Liverpool fans with his performances so far, but Netherlands legend Clarence Seedorf believes there is much more to come from the midfielder ahead of his first start at Anfield on Wednesday.
Gravenberch, signed by Bundesliga titans Bayern Munich for £35m in the summer, arrived at Anfield with a point to prove after a dismal disappointment at the Allianz Arena last season. The 21-year-old endured a solitary campaign with the German giants before swapping the Reds of Munich for the Reds of Merseyside.
Tipped for big things at Ajax, where Gravenberch established himself as one of the continent’s most promising midfielders, his career at Bayern stalled. In his only campaign with the club, he did not play 90 minutes in the league and did not register a league goal or assist. Things are looking promising at Liverpool though, and ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Leicester City, Seedorf hit back at one fan who compared him to the current Reds ace. “Look, as I said before, everyone is unique,” the former Real Madrid and AC Milan ace told Futbin.
“Ryan started early, he’s the one who broke my record at Ajax as the youngest player to make his debut for Ajax. Of course, that comes with a lot of responsibility.
“He’s on his way. I believe in him. I think he can have a great career, let him do his part. Everyone has their own destiny.”
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp echoed a similar sentiment when the announcement of Gravenberch’s move to Anfield was made on deadline day. “Really happy to bring him in because he’s an exceptional talent,” explained the Liverpool manager. “Everybody knows that. He is 21 years old, has already played more than 100 matches for Ajax.
Ryan Gravenberch has made a promising start to his life at Liverpool
Klopp addressed Gravenberch’s struggles at Bayern, but insisted the struggles were normal for his age. The midfielder doesn’t turn 22 until the end of this season, meaning he’s a little out.
“[He] had, I wouldn’t even say, a difficult season at Bayern because at that age it’s quite normal; you go to a world-class team and he had minutes and things like that,” added Klopp.
“But as Thomas Tuchel said today in a press conference in Munich, I think the position where he is best is not really in their system. We have it – that’s good. We still have a lot of games to play.”
