Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has surprised Gary Neville with the level of his performances this season under Arne Slot ’s management.
Gravenberch was signed by Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp from Bayern Munich for £34million in September 2023, but didn’t make an impact last season. Since Slot took over in the summer, Gravenberch has emerged as a real force in the midfield for Liverpool, who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after 11 games.
He has surprised Neville along with Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who has been exceptional in front of goal so far, and Ipswich forward Liam Delap, who has taken to top-flight football like a duck to water.
“Gravenberch is a massive surprise with how well he has played at the start of the season [for Liverpool],” Neville said on The Overlap. “I don’t think anyone expected him to be as good as he has been in that position [in midfield]. Curtis Jones has been very good too.
“Chris Wood with eight goals has got to be in the top three, Liam Delap with six goals for Ipswich. I’m not surprised by Danny Welbeck, he’s very good – his current form is better than any current [Manchester] United front player this season. Morgan Rogers at [Aston] Villa could be top notch.
“I’d go Wood number one, Delap number two and Gravenberch in three.” Wood is currently joint second-top scorer in the Premier League along with Mohamed Salah and Bryan Mbeumo, with the trio behind only Erling Haaland, who has 12 goals so far this season.
Joining the conversation, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright had a few other names to put into the mix. “I like the way Liam Delap has come up – we should mention Antoine Semenyo at Bournemouth as well,” he said. “Carlos Baleba at Brighton – he was unbelievable against [Manchester] City. Two years ago, he was at Lille, now Brighton has found another one [player].
“We also need to mention [Yoane] Wissa and Mbeumo – Ivan Toney’s gone, and they’ve just ploughed through. They’ve not missed him (Toney) at all.”
Gravenberch made 26 appearances in the Premier League in 2023/24, but only 12 of those were starts, with fellow new arrivals Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai more prominent. The Dutchman has connected with Slot, who has got the best out of him by handing the ex-Ajax man more responsibility.
"There were sometimes matches in which I had only touched the ball once after five or six minutes. Then you don't get into your game. Now I get the ball more, then you get more comfortable," Gravenberch said earlier this season. "He just saw this. In the end it worked out well.”
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