No footballer is ever strictly ‘undroppable’, but one Liverpool player appears to be moving ever closer to that exalted status at Anfield.
By the end of September, Ryan Gravenberch has already made half as many Premier League starts for the Reds this season as he did in the whole of 2023/24 (WhoScored), and the Dutchman has been one of his team’s best players in the early weeks of the campaign.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Dean Ashton believes that Arne Slot has found a role for the 22-year-old in which LFC can get the best out of him, adding that he doesn’t see the ex-Bayern Munich player being dropped any time soon.
The ex-Norwich and West Ham striker said: “He might have just found a position where he feels really comfortable, one that he understands what the manager wants of him. Also, being given a role where you feel like you’re the main person can really help somebody step up and develop and want to repay that to the manager because you suddenly feel like one of the main players.
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“When you’re always coming off the bench, it’s hard to feel like you’re really important, and it is an important role for Liverpool because of the way they’re going to play, and the way they allow the full-backs to go out of position. You need someone in there who’s intelligent enough to cover the space, to recognise where the danger is and making sure that they’re there stopping the ball going into centre-forwards.
“These players have become so important to teams now with the way that they want to play, and at the moment it’s his shirt to hold. You really can’t see him being displaced at the moment.”
Another tremendous performance against Wolves on Saturday highlighted just how brilliantly Gravenberch is suited to the number 6 role in Slot’s Liverpool team, maintaining the Reds’ passing rhythm while also being on hand to stifle the threat posed by the opposition.
Reports have suggested that Anfield chiefs remain determined to try and land Martin Zubimendi despite him rejecting the chance to come to Merseyside in August.
If the Real Sociedad midfielder still isn’t for turning, though, we agree with Ashton when he says that our number 38 is impossible to dislodge from our strongest starting XI right now.
You can view Ashton’s comments on Gravenberch below, via @SkySportsPL on X:
"It's his shirt to hold and you really can't see him being displaced at the moment" 💪
What a start to the season for Ryan Gravenberch 👏 pic.twitter.com/rtmxf0xa3C
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 30, 2024