Virgil van Dijk reacts to Gravenberch’s ‘tough’ Liverpool message before Newcastle
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk reacted to a message from Ryan Gravenberch after the Reds crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of PSG.
The 22-year-old has completely turned around his career at Anfield in a new role as a “number six”, for the Merseyside club this season, having struggled initially after his move from Bayern Munich in 2023.
However, despite a magnificent season, the Dutch international struggled against PSG on Tuesday evening (11 March), as Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz dominated the midfield battle.
Following a missed penalty from Curtis Jones, and Darwin Nunez, Liverpool succumbed to the French table-toppers 1-0 on the night, and 4-1 on penalties.
Ryan Gravenberch tells Liverpool fans ‘see you at Wembley’
Liverpool have the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle next up and attentions will necessarily already be turning to that.
Following the loss, Gravenberch posted a photo of himself on Instagram, captioned: “Tough blow, but still plenty to fight for this season. And that’s where our focus is. See you at Wembley, Reds”.
The midfielder’s club, and international teammate, Van Dijk, liked the post, showing support for his young teammate after a difficult result.
| Match stats | Liverpool | PSG |
| Possession | 46% | 54% |
| Expected goals | 1.59 | 2.63 |
| Shots (on target) | 19 (3) | 21 (8) |
| Big chances (missed) | 3 (3) | 4 (3) |
| Corners | 12 | 6 |
Gravenberch was surprisingly linked with an exit from Liverpool in January, but Arne Slot was adamant that he wanted to retain the former Bayern midfielder.
Martin Zubimendi was linked to Liverpool in the summer, but the Spaniard rejected the club, allowing the Dutch midfielder to blossom in his new role this season.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch allows club to focus funds on key positions
Football Insider Verdict
During the summer, Liverpool worked tirelessly to identify a defensive midfielder in the transfer market, due to the position being a key weakness, since the departure of Fabinho in 2023.
Zubimendi was established as they key target, but the Spaniard’s rejection left the Reds in limbo, and instead of panic-buying an alternative, Slot turned to his young Dutch midfielder with a new role in mind.
Gravenberch had arrived at the club off the back of a disappointing year in Germany. The midfielder was regarded as one of Europe’s top talents, but never settled at the Allianz Arena.
The former Ajax man’s career seemed to be heading for relative stagnation after his first season at Anfield, as poor performances once again impacted the Dutch international’s reputation.
However, Liverpool were able to identify the struggles of the former Bayern man were due to his position on the pitch, and not down to a lack of talent.
As a result of adapting Gravenberch from a free-roaming “eight”, into a diligent defensive midfielder, Slot and his recruitment team are now able to focus all their efforts on securing a new striker, and left-back, in the summer transfer window.