New Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has opted to decline a call-up to the Netherlands Under-21 squad in favour of concentrating on his role with the Premier League giants.
The Dutch team will face Moldova and North Macedonia in crucial qualifiers for the 2025 U21 European Championship.
An official statement read (via the Netherlands national team website): “Ryan Gravenberch will not travel to Zeist this international match to join the Dutch Juniors.
“The Liverpool midfielder has indicated to KNVB coach Michael Reiziger that he wants to focus on his new club during the international matches in September and will therefore not make himself available.”
The 21-year-old box-to-box midfielder has been juggling between the senior and U21 teams for the Netherlands, boasting 11 caps for both.
Notably, he was not selected for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He represented the junior side during the U21 European Championship after missing out on Ronald Koeman’s Nations League finals campaign.
In the wake of Gravenberch’s exclusion from the senior Netherlands squad again, he has chosen to remain in Liverpool, dedicating his time and effort to his new club.
Following his high-profile £34 million transfer on deadline day, he unfortunately missed the opportunity to debut against Aston Villa on Sunday.
However, he is fully committed to preparing for his first appearance. It will likely be against Wolverhampton Wanderers once the international break is over.
This decision by Gravenberch reinforces his determination to integrate seamlessly into Liverpool’s midfield and make a significant impact in the Premier League.
There is a massive role for the former Ajax man to play as the Merseyside club saw the departure of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Liverpool have signed Gravenberch, Dominick Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister to revamp their midfield and bounce back from a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
