Ryan Gravenberch absence explained as Liverpool star told latest snub isn't a punishment
Ryan Gravenberch has been told that he is no longer being 'punished' despite not being called up by the Netherlands for the upcoming round of international fixtures.
The Liverpool midfielder, who moved to Anfield on transfer deadline day from Bayern Munich, opted to reject joining up with the Dutch under-21 squad in September in order to focus on settling in on Merseyside.
Gravenberch's decision did not go down well with senior boss Ronald Koeman, who took aim at the call before admitting last month that the air has now been cleared. KNVB technical director Nigel de Jong was a recent visitor to the Reds’ AXA Training Complex.
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The midfielder was excluded from both the senior and under-21 teams during the October internationals and again for the upcoming round of fixtures, but Netherlands under-21 boss Michael Reiziger has said Gravenberch’s latest snub was not a punishment but more based on the fact that he did not want to make many changes to his set-up.
"I thought it was important to hold on to this group as much as possible,” he told Voetbal International. “Because you are together for three short periods in a row.
“The playing style also becomes a bit clearer. So you don't want to change too much. This is no longer a punishment or anything. Not at all. That is already behind us.
“During the next international match in March, you will, of course, look further. Then you don't even know whether he is still eligible for the Dutch Juniors or the Dutch national team.
"Because he plays very good games at Liverpool. That's just a very good thing.
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