“I didn’t know he was that good” - Darren Bent surprised by Liverpool star's performances this season

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has had an excellent start to the season. His performances have earned rave reviews from fans and pundits alike, with former England striker Darren Bent joining the queue in praising him.

Liverpool have started with three wins in as many matches, scoring seven goals and not conceding any. Their last match saw them beat arch-rivals Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Darren Bent admitted he was left impressed by Arne Slot's Reds, especially with their midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. The Dutchman has been deployed in the defensive midfield role, a long-standing problem position for Liverpool.

In the summer, the Reds failed in their pursuit of Spain's Euro-winning midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who decided to stay at Real Sociedad. Last season, both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia opted to join Chelsea instead of the Merseyside club.

However, Gravenberch, 22, has impressed in his new role. Pundit Bent told TalkSPORT that he had no idea Gravenberch 'was this good'.

"Arne Slot, one thing he has done, that Gravenberch, he (looks great), honestly. I didn’t know he was that good,” admitted Bent.

Gravenberch completed 37/44 passes against United, won 7/10 duels, completed 1/2 dribble attempts and made four interceptions and one clearance.

Slot's start at Anfield has left fans in awe of the Dutchman with many proclaiming that the Merseysiders would challenge Manchester City for the title.

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Liverpool manager Arne Slot discusses midfield change that helped them win at Old Trafford

The performance of Liverpool's midfield shell-shocked Manchester United at Old Trafford, who kept on losing possession to the visitors' press. All three of the Reds' goals and another disallowed goal came on the back of their midfielders winning the ball and hitting the hosts on the counter-attack.

After the match, Slot told Sky Sports that he would like to build on the high-pressing style the Reds were known for under Jurgen Klopp.

"We always want to press high. That's what Jurgen did. That's what we try to continue. And we scored a few goals from a high press - [and] one disallowed," Slot said.

He waxed lyrical about the performances of his midfielders while highlighting the change in position for Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai.

"You need midfielders that can run and we had three of them today that kept on running, and if you arrive in a duel they are aggressive enough to win it. That was one of the main things why we could win today," the former Feyenoord manager said.

"In the last two games Dominik Szoboszlai played from the right, today we played him from the left," he added.

All three midfielders - Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Gravenberch - are out on international duty. They are expected to be back in action for Liverpool when they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday, September 14.