Julian Nagelsmann opens up about Liverpool star's unsuccessful stint at Bayern Munich

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch seems to have finally found his feet this season as he has emerged as a starting midfielder for both club and country. The Ajax graduate's first big move was to Bayern Munich when then-coach Julian Nagelsmann signed him for a reported fee of €18 million. During his time at Ajax, Gravenberch was consistently touted as one of the best midfield talents in world football.

At Bayern, however, the player found it hard to further his development as he barely got any playing time. Even after the mid-season appointment of Thomas Tuchel things didn't change much for the Dutch midfielder who was continued to be benched for most games.

Nagelsmann reflects on Gravenberch's time under him

Julian Nageslmann, who is now the German National team coach, spoke highly of Gravenberch ahead of Germany's clash against the Netherlands on Monday. "He's doing perfectly. But I expected this development because Ryan is a smart guy and a brilliant player", the coach told Sky Sports in Germany.

Nagelsmann further explained why the young midfielder had a tough time finding playing time at Bayern Munich -

"It was complicated for him at the time because we had Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka in midfield. I was the new coach at FC Bayern and it wasn't easy to put players from the German national team on the bench. For Ryan, it was a new situation that he had to get used to because he had almost always played from the start at Ajax before."

- Julian Nagelsmann

It comes as a big revelation that the former Bayern coach himself admitted that dropping established German players wasn't at all an easy task for him. The Dutchman played a mere 938 minutes at FC Bayern in the 22/23 season scoring a total of one goal and creating one as well.

Gravenberch rejuvenated at Liverpool

Ryan Gravenberch, who left Bayern for Liverpool in the summer of 2023, had a quiet first season with the Merseyside club as he struggled to get minutes even under Jurgen Klopp. But this season, the Dutchman has turned a corner and is now a starter under new Liverpool coach Arne Slot. His good performances at club level also prompted regular call-ups from the Netherlands national team.

The Dutchman was most recently awarded Liverpool's Player of the Month for September and has been regarded by several fans and Pundits as one of the best players in the Premier League so far. Enjoying the utmost confidence of Arne Slot, the 22-year-old midfielder has played 90 minutes in all Premier League and Champions League games of the ongoing season.

The midfielder will be representing the Oranje against Nageslmann's Germany in a Nations League Group 3 clash on October 14 (08:45 PM EST). Bayern players Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry are also expected to be in action.