"He reminisces of Patrick Vieira, the long legs, moving through midfield" - Carragher compares Liverpool star to Arsenal legend

Jamie Carragher has heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, comparing him with former Arsenal player Patrick Vieira. He also thinks the Dutchman should be in contention for the PFA Footballer of the Year Award.

Gravenberch has been an absolute powerhouse at the base of Liverpool’s midfield under Arne Slot. The Dutch midfielder again put on a stellar performance last night as the Reds put Tottenham Hotspur to the sword 4-0 at Anfield. They won the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg to book their spot in the final, winning 4-1 on aggregate.

Ahead of the reverse fixture of the Carabao Cup semifinal clash between Arne Slot's side and Spurs, Jamie Carragher said (via Metro):

''It is really interesting as they thought a lot of him when he came in. The reason Bayern Munich let him go was because they played a different system. Liverpool played 4-3-3, he was more of an attacking midfielder, he would go on runs with his long legs. When Liverpool tried out players in the six, he was trialling them. They weren’t fully sure of the idea – he was he was more attacking. I was really intrigued, but I couldn’t see how it would work.''

''The highest compliment I can give him is he would be in the running for player of the year, he reminisces of Patrick Vieira, the long legs, moving through midfield. He has been a revelation.''

Gravenberch moved to Anfield from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023. He endured a difficult debut season at Anfield, but a change in position under Arne Slot has flipped the narrative.

The 22-year-old has been an integral part of a formidable Liverpool side this season. He has featured in every Premier League game for the Merseyside club.

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Gary Lineker says Liverpool star is 'one of the surprises of the season'

Apart from Jamir Carragher, former England international Gary Lineker has been impressed with the performances of Ryan Gravenberch. He said Gravenberch, along with Dominik Szoboszlai, has been terrific this season and opined that the former has been one of the surprises of the season.

Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast:

“Those two [Gravenberch and Szoboszlai] have been terrific this season. I“I think probably Gravenberch has been one of the surprises of the season.”

Lineker further revealed what manager Arne Slot told him about Gravenberch in a recent interview:

“Even Arne Slot said he was surprised how good he was when he came in, when I spoke to him in the interview a couple of weeks ago. He’s been superb, as has Szoboszlai, both dangerous players.”

The Reds will next face Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday, February 9.