"He has been absolutely excellent" – Liverpool legend hails star for his showing in 3-0 win over Manchester United

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has showered praise on Ryan Gravenberch for his standout performance in the Reds' recent 3-0 Premier League win against Manchester United.

Earlier this Sunday (September 1), the Reds produced a fine away performance at Old Trafford. Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a header in the 35th minute before converting a right-footed shot seven minutes later. Mohamed Salah scored his side's third in the 56th minute.

Gravenberch, 22, impressed fans and pundits alike with a dominating display in the centre of the park on Sunday. He completed 37 of 44 passes and one of two dribbles, and won two of two tackles and seven of 10 overall duels during the clash against Manchester United.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Thompson lauded the Ajax academy graduate for his outing against Manchester United. He elaborated (h/t HITC):

"He's always looked like he had potential and now that he has had a full pre-season with us it's helped. He's so quick across the ground, he's rapid on the floor. Is he a number six? I'm not so sure."

Thompson, who helped Liverpool lift 25 trophies as a player, added:

"Him and [Alexis] Mac Allister dovetail really well, he has been absolutely excellent. He read that Casemiro pass [for the first goal against Manchester United] before anyone else did, he was on the move to intercept it. I think he's had a fantastic start to the season."

Since arriving from Bayern for £34 million in 2023, Gravenberch has registered four goals and two assists in 41 overall outings for Liverpool.

Liverpool backed to compete for league title

After Liverpool's statement win at Manchester United, Manchester City icon Micah Richards claimed that Arne Slot's side are contenders for the Premier League title this season. He said (h/t Mirror):

"Look what they've got from the bench, they've just signed Federico Chiesa who I think is outstanding. You've got Cody Gakpo who had a brilliant Euros... who comes in and runs about. That's all still to come."

Richards, who lifted the Premier League title in 2012, concluded:

"I think they are serious now about challenging for the title. The reason I say that is because they seem more disciplined defensively and they've got firepower up front. They're challengers now."

Liverpool, who finished third with 82 points last campaign, are currently second in the Premier League table with nine points from three games.

The Reds will next face Nottingham Forest on September 14.