Gravenberch rapidly becoming Liverpool’s Thursday star but he’ll soon outgrow Europa cruises

Ryan Gravenberch is emerging as the star of Liverpool’s Europa League campaign.

Which is a curious position for a player to find themselves in. The longer Gravenberch continues to turn in these eye-catchers on a Thursday night, the less likely he is to play in the next one.

After his 70 imperious minutes contributed significantly to a 5-1 thumping of Toulouse here, ended with a substitution to enjoy a well deserved standing ovation from an appreciative Anfield crowd, there seems no way he isn’t soon firmly established as part of Jurgen Klopp first-choice midfield. Which does mean his Europa League chances may dry up a touch.

Seems a shame, because he’s been great and it may well be that Liverpool’s rogue season outside the Champions League elite might prove to have been just the thing he needed to get himself settled here. He was a shining light in a scruffy performance last time out against Union SG, but this was even better. Here he was the standout performer in something far more like Liverpool at their best.

His numbers were incredible but he’s not a player who just looks good on the page. He grabs your attention and holds it. He brings a necessary pace and directness to Liverpool’s midfield but allied with guile and elegance. His Bayern struggles already appear to be ancient history.

It was impossible to argue he didn’t deserve the goal he got tonight minutes before being awarded his own private ovation, even if the manner of it was rather comical. In a moment of peak Darwin Nunez-ing, Darwin Nunez left Toulouse defenders and goalkeeper on their backs before somehow hitting the post in what would turn out to be one of the more elaborate assists you’ll ever see, the ball bouncing back to Gravenberch on the edge of the area to do the rest. Even here, Gravenberch’s running to be in position to capitalise on such an unlikely ricochet was notable.

But really the standout moment was Gravenberch’s contribution to the goal Darwin did manage to score in the first half. Gravenberch ran the ball from halfway to the Toulouse penalty area. It was precisely the sort of drive so often lacking from Liverpool’s midfield during those stodgy spells last season when their football became ponderous and predictable.

Gravenberch was far from the only positive on a wonderfully straightforward night for a Liverpool side that really should win this competition and tick just about the last box on Jurgen Klopp’s Anfield CV.

Waturu Endo does appear to be a little bit of a spare part now, signed amid understandable concerns about Liverpool’s midfield depth after the Saudis came calling. Would they have completed that deal had they been certain of getting Gravenberch out of Munich? We do wonder. Anyway, he got his first Liverpool goal tonight, so that’s nice. He also joins Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai in having his first Liverpool goal assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Great team man, is TAA, but we couldn’t help but note he didn’t use the post to help out with his assist. There are levels to this game.

Liverpool really do just need to avoid doing anything silly and they will surely find themselves involved at the business end of this competition. There will be some decent sides drop in from the Champions League, but it’s hard currently to see how any of them would be on Liverpool’s level. This is a very good Champions League side that finds itself playing in the Europa League after a season of rare struggle.

It’s not where they want to be but all Liverpool can do is make the best of it. Three wins out of three and a five-point cushion over the team in third certainly constitutes making the best of it. But the opportunity afforded by this competition for Gravenberch to establish himself away from the harsher glare of the Barclays may prove the most significant benefit to Liverpool’s season.

Everyone knew he was a player because of what he showed at Ajax. What was less sure, and what Liverpool gambled on, was whether that player could be relocated after the struggle to adapt to life at Bayern Munich.

These are all huge European giants – whatever Ajax’s current woes – and there was no guarantee Gravenberch would find Liverpool any more suitable a location than Bayern. But it’s all looking pretty sweet right now.

There’s a £100m footballer in there, and if the Europa League is what it takes to bring him out then maybe Liverpool spending a season outside their natural Champions League home is a price worth paying.