Whilst Ryan Gravenberch’s first start for Liverpool Football Club wasn’t quite perfect, there was plenty to admire from his performance in Austria.
The Dutchman played a critical part in turning the tide after the Reds went down 1-0 in the opening 15 minutes of action courtesy of a stunning strike from Florian Flecker, providing the assist that put the visitors ahead at the Raiffeisen Arena.
🇳🇱 On top of an assist on his full debut Ryan Gravenberch also created the most chances for #LFC (5).
He was the most fouled player (4) and made 8 recoveries as well.
A solid showing. Hopefully, his injury is not serious. pic.twitter.com/PSD8roT6qw
— Bence Bocsák (@BenBocsak) September 21, 2023
Signed for £34.2m on transfer deadline day (Sky Sports), the former Bayern Munich star will be heading in the right direction when it comes to getting his club career back on track if he can use his latest outing as a springboard.
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Gravenberch lost possession a whopping 17 times – five more than Wataru Endo and four times more than Harvey Elliott – a figure that will have to be addressed quickly if the Dutch national is to have any hope of being perceived as a reliable figure in the middle of the park.
Regardless, the sight of the 21-year-old hobbling off the field of play will have been a far from welcome one, and we’re hopeful it’s not a serious issue to leave Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff with one sour note to contemplate as the squad make their way back to Merseyside.
There’s most certainly a quality player there for Liverpool to dig out and restore back to the confidence levels enjoyed during a productive spell at Ajax Amsterdam.
Succeed there and we may yet to discover an even more vast reserve of potential that once earmarked Gravenberch as a player with one of the highest ceilings in world football.