Report: 'Outstanding' Liverpool player was actually wanted by Erik ten Hag at Manchester United
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Arne Slot has endured a stunning start to life at Liverpool and has won 11 of his 13 games in charge of the club in all competitions.
The Reds are a point behind champions Manchester City in the Premier League standings and have also won each of their three UEFA Champions League games, with their only defeat coming against Nottingham Forest at Anfield last month.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | Man CityManchester City | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 23 |
| 2 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 22 |
| 3 | ArsenalArsenal | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 18 |
| 4 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | ChelseaChelsea | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 17 |
A handful of Liverpool players have impressed under the new manager, but if reports are to be believed, one of the Reds’ standout performers could have joined Manchester United if the stars had aligned.
Erik ten Hag wanted Ryan Gravenberch at Manchester United before Liverpool move
Erik ten Hag was recently sacked by Manchester United after a series of underwhelming results at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Dutchman was at the helm at Old Trafford for just over two seasons, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup earlier this year.
Last summer, both Liverpool and Manchester United were on the lookout for midfielders, with the Reds signing Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
However, a report from The Athletic states that Ten Hag wanted Gravenberch at Manchester United before making a move for Mason Mount.
The Dutch international had previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and was at Bayern Munich last summer when he was wanted by his compatriot.
When Manchester United launched a move for him, they were told he wasn’t for sale.
However, the situation changed later in the summer and Liverpool pounced, but it was too late for the Red Devils to respond as they didn’t have the financial means to proceed with the deal.
Manchester United’s loss turned out to be a blessing for Liverpool as they snapped him up in the dying embers of the 2023 summer transfer window.
Ian Wright feels Gravenberch has been outstanding for Liverpool this season and the Reds will hope the 22-year-old can carry on in the same vein as they look to compete on all fronts.
What has Ten Hag previously said about Gravenberch?
The pair worked together at Ajax between 2018 and 2022 and won four major trophies, including three Eredivisie titles.
In April 2022, Ten Hag lauded Gravenberch – via MEN – for his all-action ability in the center of the park, singling out his athleticism and ‘enormous’ passing range for special praise.
He said: “Despite his young age, he has already experienced a lot and, above all, won titles. He’s very important for our team because he’s a box-to-box player.
“He accelerates out of the positional play, does good dribbling, has enormous passing accuracy and takes part in the build-up of the game. Due to his athleticism and physique, he is also strong in the transition game and can also win the balls.
“He’s come a long way, but can still learn a lot.”
Gravenberch made over 100 appearances for Ajax under Ten Hag and joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, which is also when the Dutch manager took over the reigns at Manchester United to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
