Player Analysis: Ryan Gravenberch
Another midfield link
Here we go with another midfielder being added to Man Utd’s list of players to bring in. He is a name that has had links to us for a little while with the noise around it growing louder in recent days.
We know we need a midfielder especially in that number 8 role and even more so after our first two games. Gravenberch also played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax making these links even more rational. Another player who has had priors with ten Hag not to mention the Dutch connection.
There are also strong links with him and Liverpool. If we want the Bayern Munich midfielder, we gotta be quick.
Ryan Gravenberch
Ryan is a 21-year-old Dutch midfielder who is currently at Bayern Munich whom he signed for last year after having spent 4 years in Ajax’s first team. During his time at Ajax, Gravenberch’s manager was Erik ten Hag.
This would make more sense should he come to Old Trafford because with the likes of Antony, Martinez and Onana, these players are already familiar with ten Hag’s style and he knows them pretty well. This should indicate that they will integrate into the manager’s style more seamlessly than most.
Style of Play
He mainly plays on the left side of the midfield pivot, just like what we need. How he reads the game in terms of his awareness and anticipation of how the opposition use the ball is superb.
His link up play with players on that left side (full-backs and wingers) is another positive aspect of his. This allows him to start attacks for his side even if he doesn’t necessarily finish them.
On the ball, he’s pretty good too. According to FBREF, Ryan attempts 54.94 passes per 90 putting him in the 64th percentile with a pass completion rate of 85.7%.
But the Dutchman does excel more when it comes to ball carrying. He has 6.64 progressive passes per 90 (79th percentile) with 1.9 progressive carries and 1.3 successful take-ons mean that he is quite the baller, IYKWIM.
While those are some good stats, Ryan typically stays in that number 8 spot hardly moving all over the pitch. Due to his defensive capabilities, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Knowing how Casemiro likes to venture forward every now and then, having someone who can hold the midfield is key in those situations.
He isn’t entirely defensive though as while he does have good numbers in terms of tackles (2.73), interceptions (1.3) and clearances (1.42) per 90, which isn’t as good as his Bayern teammates Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich, it shows that he can do a good job in holding the fort.
But to be fair to him, which midfielder’s numbers would be good compared to those two? They were the reason for the former Ajax man’s limited game time in a Bayern shirt.
How would he fit in at Utd?
Pretty straightforward-ly actually.
As mentioned, Gravenberch plays on the left side of a midfield pivot. With Casemiro being right-footed and playing on the right side, Ryan would make his perfect partner.
The fact that he has good link up play down that side is an added bonus. Shaw and Rashford already make a good pair and adding a third player who can do this makes things all the better.
ten Hag wants his players to be good on the ball and Ryan brings that as well. The two of them already know each other pretty well so the integration time shouldn’t take too long.
He will provide more balance to our midfield given his profile. Mount and Bruno don’t work due to them both being too attacking while Eriksen can be a bit weak and energy-less. Ryan brings a combo of both.
Standing at 1.9m tall, he provides some height to our side that can be lacking in that aspect at times. Having good players in the air is always welcome especially in the Premier League.
Knowing that he has very good defensive abilities makes him the ideal partner. Whenever Casemiro goes forward, we have someone to cover for him. The Brazilian was also suspended for 8 games last season and we had no one who could do his job. We really missed him and we saw how terribly it affected our side.
In Gravenberch, we will have a player who can do a reasonable job as a CDM allowing us to not have such a gap in our midfield.
Here is a comparison between Ryan, our current holding midfielder, last season’s number 8 and Gravenberch’s transfer rival, Amrabat:
*stats per 90 via FBREF.
It is a bit difficult to compare him to others given the minutes he played in the past year. But we can at least see an indication of where his strengths and weaknesses lie.
Final Thoughts
He fits the bill of what we need in our midfield. Working with ten Hag previously is an added bonus as I hope that would mean he won’t take too long to embed into our side. We also have a decent relationship with Bayern with several deals being made between the clubs over the years so there shouldn’t be any issues there.
He does improve our side and squad which is always something you want at your club.
I am surprised at how little we’ve actually been in for him this window. He fits what’s needed perfectly even more so after the opening two matches, ten Hag knows him very well and we’ve been heavily linked to Amrabat, who’s the same profile of player as Gravenberch.
While ten Hag has worked with Amrabat as well, Gravenberch is more recent and is not being used much at Bayern making him more gettable.
I would take Gravenberch because of what he brings to the side and he is better suited for what we need at the moment than any of our current midfielders.
Ryan Gravenberch to Man Utd, yes or no?
#GRAVENBERCH #TRANSFERS #ERIKTENHAG #MUFC #GGMU #GLAZERSOUT
