Liverpool said they have a player who quickly becomes ‘irreplaceable’ for Arne Slot

A thin standard of the player is needed to earn ‘irreplaceable’ status at a club as large as Liverpool, given some of the illustrious names that the Reds have represented throughout decades.

In recent times, that adjective has been applied to Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, each of whom have been a transforming signing since he came to Anfield and is part of the furniture in L4.

All three of them in the Shield Community and the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth respectively, although Ryan Gravenberch missed both competitions for family reasons and suspension.

Gravenberch becomes ‘irreplaceable’ for Liverpool

Liverpool looked disturbingly vulnerable in those competitions without the imperious midfield of the Dutchman, and David Lynch asked the question of whether the 23-year-old could be considered as good as a loss for the team as the aforementioned names.

In Latest Substack ColumnThe journalist wrote: ‘You can talk as much about depth as you want, but the fact is that Liverpool would not have won the competition last season if, for example, Mohamed Salah was injured for his whole, while the same possible for Virgil van Dijk.

‘Recent events wonder if Ryan Gravenberch is now starting to position himself in that irreplaceable category.

“That certainly seemed to be the case during the defeat of the Community Shield against Crystal Palace and the victory of the Premier League of the opening day on Bournemouth, where the Reds were far too easy against each other in the absence of an outgoing defensive midfielder.”

Liverpool recently looked much weaker without Gravenberch

After a first season in Liverpool in which he just made 12 Premier League StartIt would have been virtually impossible to imagine that – just over a year later – Gravenberch is now considered an ‘irreplaceable’ presence in Anfield.

Since how vulnerable the Reds have looked at the counterattack in his absence in the past few games, there is a matter that we are a much weaker team without him in it than with him.

In the matches against Palace and Bournemouth, Slot’s side allowed their opponents 24 shots, with seven of them on goal, and four of those who ended up in the concession of a goal (Fbref). In last season’s Premier League, when the Dutchman was almost always present, we had only let in two goals after seven games.

With Liverpool only in action until next Monday, Gravenberch will be more than well -equipped by the time we take on Newcastle, while hopefully he and Alexis Mac Allister breathe new life into the midfield partnership that was so integral to our titles success in 2024/25.

If that formidable duo is back together in St James’ Park and the Reds come away with victory and clean slate, this will further strengthen the suggestion of Lynch that our number 38 has become a player that we cannot do without a longer period.