Ronald Koeman angry with Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch after Netherlands snub (1 Viewer)

Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman has openly acknowledged his lingering dissatisfaction with Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch. Nevertheless, he's hinted at a possible path for the midfielder to rejoin the national team.

After a challenging 2022-23 season with limited playing time at Bayern Munich, the 21-year-old made a £34 million move to Liverpool on the final day of the summer transfer window.

In September, Gravenberch received a call-up to the Netherlands Under-21 squad but declined the opportunity to represent his country. Instead, he expressed his desire to focus on adapting to life at Liverpool. This decision drew criticism from senior coach Koeman, and Under-21s boss Michael Reiziger also voiced his disappointment, claiming that the young player had made the wrong choice.

Despite Gravenberch's absence, Reiziger's squad went on to win two Euro Under-21 qualifiers convincingly, defeating Moldova 3-0 in Waalwijk and North Macedonia 2-0 away from home last month. Gravenberch, since joining Liverpool, has made three starts in seven appearances across all competitions, contributing with a goal and an assist in two Europa League group-stage matches and assisting in an EFL Cup third-round victory against Leicester City.

However, the Netherlands have omitted Gravenberch from both their senior and Under-21 squads for this month's international break. Koeman stated that he still holds a "certain opinion" of the young player when discussing his exclusion in a conversation with reporters, as reported by Dutch news outlet Via Nu.nl.

"We do have a certain opinion about cancelling the Dutch Juniors.

"He hasn't played much yet (for Liverpool). I still think he's a great talent and I hope he will play a lot at Liverpool and continue his development. Then he will certainly be a player for the Dutch team."

In a separate interview with Reiziger, the Dutch Under-21s boss added:

"It would be strange if it were now over with him [Gravenberch] at the Dutch Juniors. He is a boy with a lot of potential and he is still young.

"I think that a person always deserves an extra chance. Not everyone makes the best decisions or one where you see the consequences of this.
"Nigel [de Jong, director of football at the KNVB] has had contact with him, but I have not. It was not an option to call him up now. The signal has now been sent to him, but you are still busy with a group. It is something you have to want to belong to.

"I don't know if this is a one-off. But we are not going to write off young players anyway."

Gravenberch earned 11 senior international caps for the Netherlands, starting from his debut in March 2021. Additionally, he has made 11 appearances for the Under-21s since September 2020.

The Netherlands' choice to not include Gravenberch in the squad this month coincides with a period where they are dealing with several injuries to key players. These injuries have affected notable names such as Liverpool's Cody Gakpo, as well as Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Sven Botman, Steven Berghuis, and Teun Koopmeiners.