Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was forced off during the Netherlands’ victory over Finland on Sunday, causing a fresh injury headache for Arne Slot.
Gravenberch, 23, was replaced by Man City star Tijjani Reijnders at half-time of his side’s 4-0 win as they edged closer to qualifying for the World Cup.
The Reds midfielder had an issue with his hamstring and it comes a week before Liverpool return to action with a crunch clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
Speaking after the game, Dutch boss Ronald Koeman said: ‘Ryan indicated he had some minor hamstring problems. Of course, we didn’t take any risks with that.’
Gravenberch, who has developed into an integral player at Anfield since joining from Bayern Munich in 2023, later provided his own update on his fitness, and appeared to ease the concerns.
‘It was partly fitness related,’ he said. ‘The season is long, so it was a precaution. I’m feeling good and I have the coach’s confidence.’
Ryan Gravenberch was forced off at half-time of the Netherlands’ 4-0 victory over Finland
Gravenberch (No 8) was replaced by Man City’s Tijjani Reijnders due to a hamstring issue
Gravenberch had played the full 90 minutes of the Netherlands’ 4-0 win against Malta on Thursday, and he will now return to Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre to have the problem assessed.
Slot will hope the issue is a minor one given the number of fitness troubles his side are already facing.
Keeper Alisson is currently out with his own hamstring injury, while Wataru Endo missed Japan’s games this month and Ibrahima Konate left the France camp last week due to a thigh problem.
Those absences also come at a time when the Dutchman is facing the toughest period of his tenure.
Prior to the international break, Liverpool suffered three consecutive defeats by Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.
That is the worst run of Slot’s time at Liverpool and also the first time in his managerial career that he has suffered three losses in a row.
Since missing the first match of the Premier League season due to suspension, Gravenberch has played every minute of Liverpool’s subsequent six games.
Elsewhere, in better news for the Reds, both Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk scored during Sunday’s rout, which leaves the Netherlands in pole position to automatically qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
After their clash against United, Liverpool face matches against Eintracht Frankfurt, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Man City ahead of the November international break.
