Ryan Gravenberch has broken his own personal record in a remarkable season at Liverpool, while reaching a milestone no midfielder has since Emre Can in 2016.
Gravenberch is nearing the end of his most productive season yet, having become one of the first names on the teamsheet under Arne Slot.
It is a stark contrast to his first campaign at Liverpool, when he started 21 of his 38 appearances under Jurgen Klopp, and certainly his peripheral role at Bayern Munich.
So much so that Gravenberch has now played more minutes this season than in any other previous season in his career as a senior player, with 4,049.
His previous record was in 2020/21 with Ajax, when he clocked 3,946 minutes on the pitch over 47 appearances – including two starts against Liverpool in the Champions League.
Gravenberch is in fact the first midfielder to break the 4,000-minute mark for Liverpool since Can in Klopp’s first campaign in charge in 2015/16.
Nine years ago now the German – like Gravenberch now, then only 22 – played 4,215 minutes over 49 games despite rupturing ligaments in his ankle in the lead up to the Europa League final.
Liverpool’s current deep-lying midfielder could still exceed that tally before the end of the season, but it would require him to play at least 167 minutes over the final two games against Brighton and Crystal Palace.
The most any midfielder has played for Liverpool over the past 20 seasons was in 2014/15, when Jordan Henderson clocked 4,740 minutes under Brendan Rodgers.
Only three others in that time have clocked 4,000 or more minutes: Steven Gerrard on four occasions – 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2009/10 – and once each for Xabi Alonso in 2005/06 and Lucas Leiva in 2009/10.
Danny Murphy, with 4,867 minutes across all competitions in 2002/03, has played the most of any Liverpool midfielder in a single season since the Premier League era began in 1992.
Gravenberch has perhaps been fortunate to avoid injury throughout his first campaign under Slot, though that could also be attributed to the head coach and his staff’s sensitive approach to fitness.
Such has been his form and consistency that Liverpool are thought to have shelved plans to sign a new defensive midfielder, with previous target Martin Zubimendi due to join Arsenal this summer.
That could indicate more of the same to come from Gravenberch, who has now proved himself one of the Reds’ most important players.
