Rafael van der Vaart makes yet another point about why Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch is better than Jude Bellingham

Add as preferred source on Google

Ryan Gravenberch has been one of the surprise packages of the season for Liverpool under Arne Slot.

The Dutch international endured a lukewarm first season at Anfield and wasn’t expected to play a big role under the new manager.

However, after Martin Zubimendi rejected a move to Liverpool, Slot refrained from pursuing alternatives, instead opting to use Gravenberch in that position.

And it’s safe to say it’s worked wonders for the club as the towering midfielder has quickly become an indispensable asset.

Rafael van der Vaart has always been a big fan of Gravenberch and claimed last season that the Dutchman was a better player than Jude Bellingham.

And now, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid midfielder has reiterated his stance after his compatriot’s stunning start to the new season.

Van der Vaart says Gravenberch is more complete than Bellingham

When Van der Vaart claimed he rated Gravenberch over Bellingham last season, it was a bit of a controversial claim, to say the least.

The Dutchman didn’t really kick on after swapping Bayern Munich for Liverpool for £34m as he found himself in and out of the team under Jurgen Klopp.

Bellingham, on the other hand, quickly became the main man at Real Madrid after joining the club from Borussia Dortmund and spearheaded the club to a La Liga and UEFA Champions League double.

However, this season, the pair have endured contrasting fortunes as Gravenberch has taken his game to another level.

It’s not to say Bellingham hasn’t been good, but the England international hasn’t quite hit the heights of his debut season at Santiago Bernabeu.

Elaborating on his earlier claims, Van der Vaart explained why he thinks Gravenberch is a more complete midfielder than Bellingham.

He said on talkSPORT: “I know Gravenberch from Ajax and I think his potential – the way he plays, how strong and good-looking he is – is much more than Jude Bellingham.

“But he was scoring much more for Real Madrid and a lot of them were lucky shots. He’s a good player, no doubt about it.

“But now I’m happy that I’m a little bit right. I really love Bellingham but Gravenberch, in my point of view, is a complete midfielder.”

Gravenberch’s Liverpool stats this season

Michael Owen feels Gravenberch has been the best Premier League player this season, which is huge praise considering the quality on offer in England.

He has started every Premier League and UEFA Champions League game this season and has made the number six position his own.

Liverpool felt hard done by after missing out on Zubimendi, but the silver lining is that Gravenberch has taken his chance with both arms and is slowly beginning to fulfill his outrageous potential.