Towards the end of his first official home game as Liverpool head coach, a decision by Arne Slot reduced the father of one of his players to tears.
The Dutchman’s Premier League debut at Anfield came in the 2-0 win over Brentford towards the end of August, when Ryan Gravenberch was substituted in second half stoppage time to allow Wataru Endo the briefest of runouts.
That was the second of what’d become 12 successive top-flight starts for the 22-year-old, matching his tally from the entirety of last season as he’s gone on to become an integral presence for the Reds, surprising a few pundits in the process.
Speaking to ESPN, Gravenberch’s dad – also named Ryan – proclaimed that ‘God sent Arne to us and to Liverpool’ in a vivid message of gratitude towards Slot for the faith that he’s shown in the midfielder.
He was at the Brentford game three months ago to watch his son in action, and he admitted to getting emotional at the response that our number 38 received from the fans upon being substituted.
Gravenberch Sr. said: “I was at the (2-0 win over the Bees) at Anfield earlier in the season and, one minute before the game ended, Arne took Ryan off so he could get the applause.
“I was in the stands and the whole stadium stood up and applauded. I just broke down because I thought: ‘They’re doing this for my boy.’ That was the moment where I thought: ‘This is it.'”
For any parent, it must be an incredibly proud moment to witness their son or daughter playing at the highest level in their sport and receiving such rapturous applause from supporters.
For the Gravenberch family, the emotion may have been even more heartfelt considering how an abortive transfer to Bayern Munich in 2022/23 gave way to a first season at Liverpool where he showed glimpses of his talent but couldn’t quite establish himself as a fixed starter under Jurgen Klopp.
The picture is now very different with Slot in charge, and it’s to the enormous credit of both the head coach and the player that the 22-year-old has played the joint-most minutes for the Reds in the Premier League this season, alongside compatriot Virgil van Dijk.
If the former Ajax youngster can maintain or even raise his recent standards against Real Madrid tonight and Manchester City on Sunday, it’d underline his status as one of the best footballers currently playing in England and guarantee him an even more raucous reception from the Anfield faithful.
To put it mildly, Gravenberch has been doing his father and family proud with his performances for Liverpool over the past few months.
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