Alan Shearer has heaped praise on one Liverpool player who he believes has been ‘a big reason why’ the Reds have enjoyed such a terrific start to life under Arne Slot.
The BBC pundit selected four Anfield stars in his Premier League Team of the Season so far, one of whom is Ryan Gravenberch, who’s grown into one of his side’s best performers under his Dutch compatriot.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah were the other three LFC players to be included in the 54-year-old’s pick of the top-flight crop for 2024/25.
Shearer full of praise for Gravenberch
As per premierleague.com, Shearer briefly outlined his reasons for including each player in his hitherto Team of the Season.
The ex-Newcastle striker explained the selection of Gravenberch by saying: “He’s adapted really well to a slightly more defensive role this season, and his dominance in midfield is a big reason why Liverpool have been so good in both attack and defence.”
It comes as no surprise to us that Shearer has included Liverpool’s number 38 in his Premier League Team of the Season so far.
As per FBref, the 22-year-old has the fifth-best pass success rate at Anfield in all competitions this term (89.7%) and the highest combined tally of tackles and interceptions (63), while only three players have recorded more goal-creating actions than the Dutchman.
He also has the best rate for successful take-ons (62.5%) when discounting anyone who’s attempted fewer than five and sits fourth on the list for progressive carries (36).
Gravenberch’s marriage of excellent work out of possession and tidy use of the ball when he gets it illustrates that Slot has pulled off a masterstroke by deploying him in a deep-lying midfield role which is clearly getting the best out of his skill set.
If Liverpool are to go on and win the league title this season, it seems certain that the ex-Ajax starlet will have been a major contributor to that success.
