Fears that Ryan Gravenberch sustained an injury in Thursday’s Europa League victory over LASK have been allayed by Jurgen Klopp.
The 21-year-old midfielder dazzled with an assist as the Reds overcame a goal deficit to win 3-1 in the Group E opening in Austria. This was the midfielder’s first appearance with Liverpool.
The hosts unexpectedly took the lead early on thanks to a rocket strike from LASK’s Florian Flecker from the edge of the 18-yard box, but Klopp’s team fought back after the half with goals from Darwin Nuez, Luis Diaz (with assistance from Gravenberch), and Mohamed Salah to secure a comfortable victory.
However, Gravenberch was replaced with just over 15 minutes remaining in the second half, raising concerns that he might have injured himself.
After the game, Klopp stated to TNT Sports that the midfielder was only taken out because of cramps due to a lack of match fitness.
Klopp stated, “He told me he had cramp.” That makes sense; I believe that was the first start in a while. He performed admirably, and for a while he was the best player on the field, but in the first half, his displeasure increased, and you could see him becoming disoriented as well. It’s normal; these things happen, but he played as long as he could, and there were some great moments.
Despite not knowing much about his teammates, he set up a good goal for Lucho, and it appeared to be well-tuned.
According to Klopp, “He told me he had cramp.” I think that was the first start in a while, so that makes sense. He gave a commendable performance, and for a while he was the greatest player on the field. However, in the first half, his annoyance grew and you could see him starting to lose his bearings. These things always happen, but he continued to play for as long as he could, and there were some wonderful moments.
He didn’t really know his teammates, but he set up a good goal for Lucho, and it seemed like it was calibrated.