Ryan Gravenberch has made a mistake not linking up with the Netherlands for the international break, having decided to remain at Liverpool to try and acclimatise to his new club.
That’s according to Michael Reiziger, the new coach of the Dutch juniors, who is less than impressed by the midfielder’s decision.
Gravenberch joined Liverpool at the end of the window as they continued to spend on forming a new look midfield following their problems in that area last season.
The move to Anfield brought an end to a year-long stay at Bayern Munich, who he joined last summer from Ajax as one of the hottest rated young players in Europe.
Rather than establishing himself as a key player at the Allianz Arena, though, he struggled to shine under Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, spending the majority of last season sat on the bench.
He’s now hoping to get back on track at Liverpool and is keen to make his mark as quickly as possible, so much so that he has elected not to be a part of the Dutch Juniors squad for this international break.
His plan is to stay at Anfield to help speed up his acclimatisation to his new club, but Reiziger does not agree with the choice.
“I don’t think it’s a good decision,” he said.
“Young boys sometimes make bad choices. I believe it is an honor to represent your country. Players will sometimes also be disappointed that they are not in the big Dutch team.
“I understand that, because you want to achieve the highest possible result, but disappointment is part of football.
“I played five international matches for the Dutch Juniors. I saw that as an honor. It can be a steppingstone to more. If you feel that, you will experience beautiful things. I know this because I have experienced it myself. But I’ve only seen happy faces here.
“I advised him to go to a club where he will play. I also really hope for him that he will play at Liverpool. Of course, it is attractive to be at big clubs, but at this age it is not good if you don’t play for a long time.
“You learn a lot from the good players around you, but you have to experience situations in a match to learn certain things.”
