Ryan Gravenberch‘s availability for Liverpool this season has been summed up by him achieving a feat no other Reds player has in the past three decades.
Arne Slot‘s side beat Everton 1-0 at Anfield on Wednesday evening, moving another step closer to a second Premier League title.
It was Liverpool’s first game in 17 days, allowing some players a breather, including Gravenberch, having returned to Liverpool early from international duty with an injury.
The Dutchman looked jaded before the break, struggling against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle, but he was much improved at home to Everton.
Gravenberch had the joint-most touches (102) along with Virgil van Dijk, per FotMob, and only the skipper (15) made more defensive actions (six) for Liverpool.
According to Opta’s Michael Reid on X, the 22-year-old has become the youngest Reds player to start all of their opening 30 league matches in a season since Fowler in 1994/95.
Gravenberch has achieved that feat at 22 years and 321 days of age, while ‘God’ managed it at a startling 19 years and 339 days.
The youngest-ever Liverpool player to do so was John McLaughlin back in 1970/71 (19 years and two days).
Liverpool must handle Gravenberch with care
Such have been the maturity of Gravenberch’s performances in a deeper-lying role this season, it’s easy to forget how young he still is.
It is only natural that the midfielder has looked more jaded as the campaign has gone on, with such a workload not coming his way in his career to date.
Until this season, Gravenberch had never started more than 31 games in a league campaign, coming for Ajax in 2020/21, with the Eredivisie a less intense division.
Liverpool must handle him with care moving forward, not overplaying him and risking burnout before his prime years.
In fact, Fowler should act as a cautionary tale, with the legendary striker essentially peaking in his early 20s.
He had already made 200 Liverpool appearances by the time he was Gravenberch’s age, before injuries and years of intense football at a young age caught up with him.
Exactly the same applies to Michael Owen, both in terms of appearances and the manner in which his career petered out.
In fairness to Slot, it has been hard to leave Gravenberch out this season, given his influence, but managing his minutes has to be an area of focus moving forward.
Another midfield signing this summer would certainly help, ensuring the Reds have him at his best for years to come.
