Jamie Carragher compares Liverpool star Gravenberch to Premier League great

A year ago yesterday on September 1, Ryan Gravenberch joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich. Flash forward to the present on the anniversary of his signing against Manchester United, Liverpool look like they are beginning to reap the rewards from the young Dutch star. 

Gravenberch’s fee of £34.2 million seemed a bargain for the youngster who displayed powerful and dominant performances while in Germany. However, he struggled to fit into Liverpool’s system in Jurgen Klopp’s final season, mainly coming off the bench in Premier League fixtures. 

However, Gravenberch’s start to the 2024/25 season has been immense and his performance against United illustrated this. 

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Liverpool’s transfer nightmare was compounded when defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who looked to have agreed to join Liverpool, suddenly pulled out leaving the elusive Number 6 position open and questions being asked on who would fill in to take this up. 

Slot moved Gravenberch deeper into this role, and it has worked wonders so far for Liverpool. Against United he was everywhere, he was always looking to push forward and physically looked strong and powerful playing a part in Liverpool’s opening two goals. 

Gravenberch's stats made good reading, winning possession six times and intercepting the ball four times, the most of any player in the game.

Gravenberch compared to Patrick Vieira

Clearly, Gravenberch’s performance impressed with the midfielder receiving high praise from a number of pundits. 

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher commented on his contribution stating his style of play is “Almost Vieira-like”. 

He continues saying “I didn’t want to get too carried away after the first two games considering the opposition, but I said this would be an acid test. He has certainly come through with flying colours, Gravenberch, in that role.”

Carragher’s comments reflect Gravenberch’s excellence. Being compared to one of the greatest players the Premier League has ever seen is a real testament to Gravenberch’s talent. He was fluid, pacy, inquisitive and hard-working, everything you want in a 6. 

The players also seemed to relish his performance, with Ibrahima Konate commenting on Gravenberch’s Instagram post after the game, “You’re crazy", in reference to his monstrous performance.

Gravenberch seems to be a popular figure in the changing room and his positivity even when being asked to play in an unfamiliar role has reflected on the pitch. Gravenberch is still only 22 years old and under Slot, the signs are looking incredibly promising. 

Even with Erik ten Hag’s obsession with former Ajax players in his team, it looks like Gravenberch may have been the one that got away.