Liverpool great John Barnes says Reds midfielder is like Andrea Pirlo

Ryan Gravenberch has enjoyed an impressive beginning to life under Arne Slot at Liverpool, and the 22-year-old now looks comfortable in the starting XI.

The Dutch midfielder was Jurgen Klopp’s final Liverpool signing but he only started 12 of the Reds' 38 Premier League games last season and only completed the full 90 minutes on a single occasion.

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Things have been very different for Gravenberch under new head coach Arne Slot. He has been a key figure in Liverpool’s perfect start to the Premier League, playing 90 minutes in all three league games so far this season and he has been rewarded with a recall to the Dutch national team's starting line-up.

Gravenberch played the full 90 minutes of the Netherlands’ 5-2 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday night, and he is establishing himself as a must-start player for both club and country.

Praise for Gravenberch

The young midfielder’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed and legendary Liverpool winger John Barnes has now weighed in on Gravenberch's position in Slot’s new Liverpool side.

“Playing Ryan Gravenberch as a number 6 is a bit like playing Pirlo in a number 6. A different type of player but more attacking, more comfortable on the ball rather than a hard working, difficult, strong defensive midfield player,” Barnes told The Rest Is Football on YouTube.

The comparison to Pirlo may be a bit premature but Gravenberch is certainly heading in the right direction and has started to justify the near £35 million that Liverpool reportedly paid for him at the end of last summer.

Gravenberch is one of a number of players who has improved under Slot, with Luis Diaz also looking noticeably more clinical in front of goal this season, and Barnes believes the Liverpool squad fully back their new head coach, saying: “The players have bought into what [Slot] is trying to do.”

Liverpool’s number 6 dilemma

It was clear from Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Martin Zubimendi that the holding midfield role was a key area identified by Slot and Richard Hughes for the summer transfer window.

Despite strong interest in the Spaniard, Liverpool opted not to sign an alternative when Zubimendi decided to stay with Real Sociedad, so Gravenberch has been relied upon as Liverpool’s answer to the holding midfield problem.

The Dutchman has been impressive since he stepped up, with stand-out performances against Ipswich Town and Manchester United. He now has the chance to prove to everyone that Liverpool were right not to sign another midfielder this summer.