Arne Slot named the unlikely Liverpool player he's been most surprised by this season

Arne Slot has been most impressed with holding midfield anchor Ryan Gravenberch so far this season at Liverpool. The Reds have enjoyed a campaign to remember thus far. They’ve stormed through the Champions League group phase, are rampant in the Premier League – sitting six points clear at the top with a game in hand – and have an FA Cup run awaiting them as well as a League Cup final on the horizon.

While boss Slot has hit the ground running with very little turbulence, one unexpected surprise has been the revelation of his countryman Gravenberch at the base of his midfield – a role that the youngster played to great aplomb in his side's simple 4-0 victory over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday night. The 22-year-old, signed from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023 for £34million, initially failed to force his way into the first XI regularly under Jurgen Klopp. But he has now emerged into a composed anchor in front of the top-flight’s best defence – and such an emergence supposedly wasn’t something Slot anticipated.

“I think Gravenberch has been one of the surprises of the season,“ stated pundit Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast. “Even Arne Slot said how surprised how good he was when he came in when I spoke to him in an interview a week or so ago. Dangerous player. He’s been superb.”. Despite Lineker echoing Slot’s claims, in the summer, it seemed likely that a bonafide No. 6 would arrive at Anfield to displace Gravenberch. The club were in hot pursuit of Real Sociedad enforcer Martin Zubimendi, but talks collapsed when he opted to stay in Spain – and he looks poised to choose rivals Arsenal instead this coming summer.

With few other options, Slot made the decision to base the Dutchman at the foot of his newly-formed midfield, and it has evidently paid dividends. Gravenberch has not only surprised his new manager with his performances – which have led to him starting every Premier League fixture thus far – but the midfielder has also surprised himself. “Yeah,” Gravenberch told Liverpool’s club website, asked if he was taken aback by his own classy defensive play. “Because, to be honest, as an eight, you are more attacking and not a lot of defending. But the defending part I do also really well, so I impress myself a little bit.

“Back in the days when I played with Ajax in the youth [team], I didn't like to defend! I didn't like that much. But now, when you take off the ball from another player, it's like, 'yes, I have it!' I want to take the next one and the next one again. I enjoy it. “It came quite naturally. When I first spoke with the coach, he said to me, 'I see you as a No. 8 like last season, but I want to try you as a No. 6 as well.' So, I was like, 'OK, yeah, we can do it!' I said to him, 'of course, we can do it!' And the rest is history.

“Obviously, I get the minutes now, and I just try to be consistent and show myself every game. I think it's going really well. I really enjoy it. I'm feeling really good.”. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.