Sander Westerveld has named two Liverpool players who he believes will be ‘very important’ figures at Anfield in the long-term.
The former Reds goalkeeper was speaking to The Redmen TV when he praised compatriots Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, both of whom he described as a ‘perfect fit’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The 49-year-old said: “Gakpo when he came in the first couple of months, he was amazing. He adapted very well, which shows how experienced he is at a younger age. I think Gravenberch has a lot of potential and desire to play because he was not involved at Bayern Munich after being a big talent at Ajax.”
“Gravenberch plays so many positions in midfield and Gakpo as well up front. They will be very important for Liverpool in the future.”
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Although the Dutch duo have taken some criticism for a few performances this season, both possess plenty of talent and have shown that they can belong at Liverpool.
Gakpo has netted a respectable tally of 11 goals during the current campaign, including four in our victorious Carabao Cup journey and two in recent wins over Brentford and Luton when he compensated for the injury absences of Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez (Transfermarkt).
The 24-year-old will continue to be relied upon by Klopp for the remainder of the season as the Reds hunt down a potential quadruple.
Meanwhile, Gravenberch has already clocked up 65% more minutes for Liverpool since joining six months ago than he did in the entirety of 2022/23 at Bayern Munich, and he looked particularly impressive during our Europa League group fixtures, helping himself to two goals (Transfermarkt).
The 21-year-old may have taken the brunt of his manager’s ire during the defeat to Arsenal last month but he’s still shown that he has the talent to succeed in the long run at Anfield, and at his age he still has a lot of scope to get even better.
With several Reds stalwarts now into their 30s, Klopp’s successor will be looking to younger figures like Gakpo and Gravenberch to become standard bearers within the team over the coming years. Both still have plenty of chapters to write in their respective LFC careers.
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