'God sent Arne to us': Liverpool player's dad says Slot's arrival at Anfield has been 'superb' for his son

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Liverpool have surprised just about everyone with their dominance in the Premier League and Champions League so far this season.

The Reds are eight points clear at the top of the table in England, while also boasting a perfect record after four games in Europe.

The week ahead will put that to the test, as Liverpool face Real Madrid on Wednesday and then Manchester City four days later.

Arne Slot is going to have to shuffle his Liverpool squad a little to make sure he gets the most out of the players available.

But while for some that may mean a spot on the bench in at least one of the two games, Ryan Gravenberch looks set to be pivotal in both.

Gravenberch has started all 16 of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League games, becoming a key figure under Slot. And as the 22-year-old looks to make his mark against two of world football’s best sides, his father has revealed the secret behind his success.

Ryan Gravenberch Sr reveals Arne Slot talks

Ahead of Wednesday’s match-up, there have been reports that Gravenberch is on the radar at Real Madrid following his displays for Liverpool this season.

Rewind six months and that would have seemed unthinkable really.

While the Dutchman did not have a bad first season with the Reds under Jurgen Klopp, his emergence as a key player has been a real surprise.

There’s little question that Slot’s arrival has helped Gravenberch immeasurably. And speaking to ESPN, the Dutchman’s father, Ryan Sr, has detailed how exactly the new Liverpool head coach has gone about getting the best out of his son.

READ MORE: Gary Neville says Ryan Gravenberch has been the ‘biggest surprise’ in the Premier League this season

“We are God-believing people, and we think God sent Arne to us and to Liverpool,” he says.

“Obviously he’s Dutch so when he explains something to Ryan, he can understand it very clearly. He communicates superbly.

“The main thing he’s said to Ryan is: ‘I’m going to play you and so it is on you to maintain playing.’ He was very clear about that and that has worked for both sides.”

Ryan Gravenberch key to Liverpool title hopes

Obviously, had Liverpool signed Zubimendi, then Gravenberch would have been resigned to the bench once more this season.

Ironically given his dad’s enthusiasm for Slot, the 46-year-old did not initially see Gravenberch as being a starter for him.

There remains a possibility that Liverpool could come back in for Zubimendi in January and although Gravenberch may not welcome that, it could hold the key to the Reds’ whole season.

While he is in brilliant form just now, there is a worry that if the No.38 goes down injured, Liverpool do not have anyone to replace him effectively.

With such a tough run of fixtures coming up, there’s no way that Slot can keep asking Gravenberch to go again and again every single time.

So far Arne has stuck to his word and kept on playing his countryman if he has shown he deserves to be picked. Gravenberch has made himself indispensable to the team to the point where it is arguably turning into a bit of a problem. A nice problem to have, though.