Gary Neville name-drops Liverpool as surprise of the season emerges

Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch has left Gary Neville astounded with his performances this season under the guidance of Arne Slot.

The midfielder was brought to Anfield by Jurgen Klopp, Slot’s predecessor, from Bayern Munich for a hefty £34million in September 2023 but failed to make a significant impact in his debut season.

However, since Slot took the reins this summer, Gravenberch has become a formidable presence in Liverpool’s midfield, helping them secure a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after just 11 games. His performance has not only surprised Neville but also Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood, who has been exceptional in front of goal, and Ipswich’s Liam Delap, who has adapted seamlessly to top-flight football.

“Gravenberch is a massive surprise with how well he has played at the start of the season [for Liverpool],” Neville commented on The Overlap. “I don’t think anyone expected him to be as good as he has been in that position [in midfield]. Curtis Jones has been very good too.

“Chris Wood with eight goals has got to be in the top three, Liam Delap with six goals for Ipswich. I’m not surprised by Danny Welbeck, he’s very good – his current form is better than any current [Manchester] United front player this season. Morgan Rogers at [Aston] Villa could be top notch.”

Wood has been tipped as the top player by football pundits, with only the phenomenal scoring prowess of Erling Haaland eclipsing his impressive goal tally this season. Meanwhile, Ian Wright, the Arsenal legend, is throwing his support behind upcoming talents such as Liam Delap, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, and Carlos Baleba from Brighton who dazzled against Manchester City.

“I like the way Liam Delap has come up – we should mention Antoine Semenyo at Bournemouth as well,” commented Wright. He also praised Baleba: “Carlos Baleba at Brighton – he was unbelievable against [Manchester] City. Two years ago, he was at Lille, now Brighton has found another one [player].”

Not forgetting the contributions of players like Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, Wright highlighted their impact: “We also need to mention [Yoane] Wissa and Mbeumo – Ivan Toney’s gone, and they’ve just ploughed through. They’ve not missed him (Toney) at all.”

As for Ryan Gravenberch, his 26 appearances in the 2023/24 Premier League, of which only 12 were starts, have been overshadowed by teammates Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Dominik Szoboszlai. Nevertheless, his recent performances under the guidance of manager Arne Slot, who has given him greater responsibility, have started to shine through.

Gravenberch himself acknowledged the improvement earlier this season, saying: “There were sometimes matches in which I had only touched the ball once after five or six minutes. Then you don’t get into your game. Now I get the ball more, then you get more comfortable.”

And on Slot’s influence, he added, “He just saw this. In the end it worked out well.”