Liverpool set for boost as Netherlands still wounded by Ryan Gravenberch decision
Liverpool deadline day signing Ryan Gravenberch has left out in the cold by the Netherlands national team bosses, who made their final squad decisions on Monday.
The 21-year-old completed a £40m switch to Anfield from Bayern Munich on September 1. It capped off a jubilant day for the man in question as he was also selected for Michael Reiziger's Under-21 squad for fixtures against Moldova and North Macedonia.
But to the surprise of his country's bosses, the midfielder politely declined the call-up so that he could spend the two-week period to bed into his fresh surroundings at the AXA Training Centre, plus the city of Liverpool and England as a whole.
A wise decision for someone so young that would benefit not only himself and his new club, but his national team too, one might think? Well, that wasn't the view taken across the English channel. Current custodian of the senior team and former Everton boss Ronald Koeman was vexed, unable to see why anyone would say no to their nation.
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Gravenberch has since offered proof as to why his personal choice may have been the correct one. He's made seven appearances in little over a month, and in the three that were in the starting line-up he has scored his first goal for the club, plus made two assists.
"When you give a player minutes, he gets confidence. We're in such a good mood," the player said after last week's 2-0 Europa League triumph against Union Saint-Gilloise.
However, his newfound form and conviction have cut no ice with the Netherlands national team. Announcing their final squads on Monday,
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