Stephen Warnock has suggested that Liverpool fans have yet to see the best of one player at Anfield due to his large period of inactivity over the past year.
The last of the Reds’ four summer signings was Ryan Gravenberch, who joined in the closing hours of transfer deadline day after an abortive year-and-a-bit at Bayern Munich where he started just three Bundesliga games (WhoScored).
The £150,000-per-week midfielder (Capology) has already equalled that tally in the Premier League after just two months (WhoScored), and has generally impressed when selected by Jurgen Klopp, although one former LFC player believes the Dutchman will improve even further with more regular game-time.
Speaking on NBC Sports‘ The 2 Robbies Podcast, Warnock said of the 21-year-old: “He’s young and inexperienced, but I also think there’s a side where he’s just getting used to playing again.
“He’s had a year out of playing at Bayern Munich. That’s a long time in football and even your body getting up to speed, he probably didn’t have a full pre-season because he was a bit in limbo. You sort of drop your standards because you’re feeling a bit sorry for yourself.
“I think there’s a side where he’ll get better in time, but I do like him. He’s more of an advanced centre-midfielder, loves getting on the half turn, drives with the ball so so well.”
While Gravenberch hasn’t quite made himself a regular at Liverpool just yet, he does appear to be getting a fairer crack of the whip than what he had at Bayern.
It must be kept in mind that he’s still just 21 and has only been at Anfield for a couple of months, so he couldn’t have been expected to revolutionise the midfield on his own, especially after struggling for game-time in Munich.
As Warnock has hinted, the best is probably still to come from the Dutchman, who hasn’t lacked for confidence in a Reds shirt so far, and that belief should only grow with each start that he gets under Klopp.
You can view Warnock’s comments on Gravenberch below (from 30:45), via NBC Sports on YouTube: