Arne Slot is searching for solutions to Liverpool's big no.6 void and he has found one answer that does not even include Martin Zubimendi. 

With less than a week to go now until the beginning of the Premier League, it's unlikely that Martin Zubimendi will be lining up for Liverpool against Ipswich in the opening game. Even if he says yes to Liverpool's proposal, the deadline is too tight to make him a viable option for Slot.

So then begins his dilemma. Who will be used in the no.6 role for that first game of the season? Slot doesn't rate Wataru Endo as a starting option in that role - it was easy to see why against Real Betis in pre-season.

However, he doesn't have any other players who are natural in that position either. Although pre-season has shown he could have a solution even without Zubimendi coming into the club.

READ MORE: Martin Zubimendi LATEST transfer news. 

Ryan Gravenberch - Arne Slot's ideal no.6?

We have seen in Liverpool's last two games in pre-season that Ryan Gravenberch has proven himself as a genuine option for the no.6 role.

There were instances of him playing a similar role against Manchester United, but the Dutchman showed his best form against Sevilla at Anfield in Liverpool's curtain raiser.

Gravenberch was solid defensively and looked composed on the ball, too - providing the kind of stability that Endo lacked in the opening game against Real Betis.

Impressively, the 22-year-old misplaced just three out of his 56 attempted passes in the game - and always looked comfortable bringing the ball out from the back.

Gravenberch struggled to find his feet at times under Jurgen Klopp last season. He didn't quite suit the no.8 position as much as he could suit this no.6 role under Slot.

The former Ajax midfielder just seems more at ease when he picks the ball up in deeper channels, and he's capable of doing his fair share of the defensive work as well.

Liverpool will still want to bring in another holding midfielder. There is a need for that. However, in Gravenberch Slot may not have only found an easy solution for the game against Ipswich but also a long-term understudy to whoever the club brings in as the first choice no.6.