Rafael van der Vaart believes young Liverpool star 'has the potential to be world-class'
Former Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart reckons Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has all the attributes to be world-class. The 22-year-old joined the Reds last summer.
Gravenberch had a decent debut season at the Premier League giants, contributing four goals and two assists in 38 games across competitions, starting 21 times.
The midfielder - who arrived from Bayern Munich after a season - is contracted with the Reds till 2028. Gravenberch is part of the Netherlands' 26-man squad for the upcoming European Championship in Germany, having scored once in 12 outings with the Oranje.
Talking about his compatriot's world-class potential, Van der Vaart told NOS (via HITC):
“If Bayern and Liverpool want you, then you just go. “He really has the potential to be world-class.”
"If you go from Ajax to Bayern and Liverpool, and you don’t play much, then it is better to choose a club where you know you will just make a lot of minutes. And he has not done that. But, in the matches he has played, you can see that he is really a (quality) midfielder. I think he is so good. His potential is incredible.”
Gravenberch will hope to be a regular starter under his compatriot Arne Slot, who has succeeded the legendary Jurgen Klopp this summer.
A recap of Liverpool's 2023-24 season
Liverpool had a decent final season under their affable boss Jurgen Klopp, winning the EFL Cup. They were in contention for an unprecedented quadruple but fell out of contention with a drop-off in form.
In the Premier League, the Reds led the standings for a while before eventually finishing behind Manchester City and Arsenal. While they won the EFL Cup, they didn't have similar luck in the FA Cup, where they fell 4-3 in extra time at Manchester United in the quarterfinals.
The Reds' quest to win the only competition they hadn't won under Klopp ended when they fell 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals. A damaging 3-0 first-leg home loss proved to be a deficit too steep to surmount despite Klopp's side winning the return 1-0.