'A bit surprised': Arne Slot says £35m player has actually shocked him at Liverpool

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Arne Slot has had a remarkable impact since becoming the Liverpool manager.

Arne Slot had one of the toughest jobs in football as he replaced Jurgen Klopp at Anfield after a remarkable tenure as the Liverpool boss.

However, Slot has taken to life on Merseyside like a duck to water as Liverpool sit top of the Premier League and top of the Champions League.

Slot has had an incredible impact at Liverpool, and many players have improved this season.

Ibrahima Konate has improved this term, and his performances have been noted internally at Liverpool, but perhaps the most improved player in this Liverpool squad is Ryan Gravenberch.

Gravenberch has transformed under Slot this season, and according to the man himself, speaking on Between The Lines, Gravenberch's performances have been a bit of a surprise this season.

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Arne Slot surprised by Ryan Gravenberch

Sloty spoke about Gravenberch's attributes, claiming that his size is a real help in terms of his running and his tackling.

Meanwhile, the manager also said that he was surprised by how well Gravenberch was performing in his duels.

"When you look at him, he has height, he has long legs so he can run. Mostly in football it's about these tackles that standout for the fans," Slot said.

"Everybody, including me was a bit surprised by how well he does as well in the duels, but because he has this height he can run. Defensive work is mostly about running, getting numbers behind the ball and making sure the centre-backs aren't exposed."

Ryan Gravenberch duel statistics

The £35m man has earned tons of praise this season, and for good reason.

The midfielder has been brilliant, and, as Slot says, he's been somewhat surprising in terms of how he's performed in duels.

Interestingly, the numbers show that Gravenberch has improved massively in terms of his numbers when it comes to winning duels this season.

Arne Slot has really managed to get the best out of Gravenberch, and the numbers show it.

Gravenberch has gone from losing the majority of his duels to winning more often than not, and that has helped Liverpool massively both in terms of defensive actions and springing counter-attacks.

Gravenberch is such an important player for Liverpool these days, and he could well be a key cog in what ends up being a successful title tilt.