'Rare trait': Danny Murphy says Liverpool have a £34m player who can do something barely anyone else can
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Despite a wobble in the Premier League last weekend, Liverpool are looking good so far this season.
The Reds bounced back from last Saturday’s dismal home loss against Nottingham Forest to post an excellent win over AC Milan in midweek.
There were so many standout performers from Liverpool’s 3-1 win as they got their Champions League campaign off to a flyer.
Cody Gakpo was excellent against Milan and could now be in line for a start against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Paul Merson has called for Gakpo to start after the left winger caused all sorts of problems at San Siro.
But although Gakpo caught the eye to a degree, it was his countryman, Ryan Gravenberch, who was named as Tuesday night’s man of the match.
Ryan Gravenberch compared to Mousa Dembele
It has been a stunning start to the season for Gravenberch. Having been unsure of his place in the starting XI over the summer, the 22-year-old has since exploded onto the scene.
Gravenberch’s partnership with Alexis Mac Allister will be key for Liverpool this season and they already look to have built up an excellent understanding.
Last season, Mac Allister developed a great pairing with Wataru Endo, but with Endo out of the picture for now, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has explained why Gravenberch is the ideal foil for the Argentine.
“Klopp favoured Endo in that role or Mac Allister,” says Murphy. “What Gravenberch does is, if you have seen enough of him, he can glide forward with the ball past people. That's a rare trait in midfield.
READ MORE: Ryan Gravenberch leaves Rafael van der Vaart speechless after Netherlands performance
“The one who stands out in my head who could do it is Mousa Dembele. Gravenberch has got a bit of that.
“He is a bit different to Mousa,” adds the pundit, who played with Dembele at Fulham. “But in terms of get on the ball and then you come tight and I will go, I will glide past you.
“Do you know the goal they got disallowed at Old Trafford when he did it to Kobbie Mainoo? Kobbie is a brilliant player, I am not picking on him, but you know when he just tried to dive in a little bit and let it run and ‘vroom’.
“It is a little masterstroke putting him in there.”
Who will start in midfield against Bournemouth
Although Mohamed Salah was named as Liverpool’s August player of the month on Thursday, there is a strong argument that Gravenberch should have won it.
The Netherlands international has defied all expectations so far and truly looks like he could be a long-term answer in Liverpool’s midfield.
In this kind of form, Gravenberch should be one of the first names on Arne Slot’s teamsheet.
However, Liverpool have so many games to play over the next two weeks. Slot might have to start employing a little more rotation than he has up to this point.
Despite the need for that, though, we’re not sure Saturday’s must win game is the place to do it, especially in the midfield. As a result, we expect Arne to go with the same three against the Cherries: Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
