superwin636 Cody Gakpo is proud of his teammate Ryan Gravenberch, both in the Netherlands national team and Liverpool club, that he is a real player, not a social media sensation. From now on, he will keep his head down and work hard, and everything will get better. superwin636

Gravenberch emerged at Ajax Amsterdam as a young midfielder but quickly became a regular in the first team, until Bayern Munich snapped him up.  ( superwin636 )

But with competition at the Allianz Arena fierce and politics surrounding clubs fielding players for the German national team, the young Dutchman struggled to make the cut and was eventually sold to the Reds in the summer of 2023. 

Working under former manager Jurgen Klopp was a time of adjustment, and when the head coach position was handed to Arne Slot, everything fell into place, with Gravenberch becoming a mainstay at Anfield. 

That made Gakpo, who had been following the story all along, unable to help but feel proud. 

Our Dutch players at Liverpool already know Ryan’s reputation from his Eredivisie days at Ajax, so I think everyone knows how good he is,” he told ‘Men in Blazers’.

“Then he moved to Bayern Munich. He may not have played much there, but the people in Holland know what he can do if given the chance.”

“Maybe head coach Arne Slot knows that.”

“At the start of the season, Ryan’s position was different, but the gaffer tried to build his confidence.”  

“Until he showed his potential in that position, seized the opportunity well, and made many outstanding performances.” 

“He’s been our breakout player this season.” 

“I am happy for Ryan to see that. We Dutch know that he has something to show the world. So proud of him.”  

Gravenberch started 15 of the 17 games this season, deployed as a #6 midfielder from his breakthrough role as a #8.