A DUTCH football legend has urged a Liverpool player to make a surprise positional change under new boss Arne Slot.
This player and his team-mates are preparing for a whole new era on Merseyside after Jurgen Klopp’s departure as manager.
The German bid an emotional farewell to Liverpool after the 2-0 win over Wolves last week and will be replaced by Dutchman Slot.
Popular duo Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are also leaving the club along with Klopp’s staff.
Mo Salah has shown that he is ready for the big change by undertaking a major one himself regarding his hairstyle.
However, former Tottenham and Real Madrid attacker Rafael van der Vaart, 41, feels another Red should look to make a huge transformation – only this time on the pitch.
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Ryan Gravenberch, 22, joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich for £40m last summer but has endured a mixed first campaign.
He played 38 appearances, 21 of them being starts, but scored just four times and provided two assists in that period from his usual position of No.8 under Klopp.
Now Van der Vaart wants to see him move from being behind the front three and suggested that he instead drops back to a deeper position in order to change his fortunes.
And he highlighted their Dutch compatriot Nigel de Jong, who played there for Man City, and Arsenal legend Patrick Viera as two examples for him to follow.
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Speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbal International, Van Der Vaart said: “I advise Ryan to opt for a role as a defensive midfielder.
“That will not be an easy choice for him, because he can do much more. You can compare it with Nigel de Jong in the past.
“Nigel could do much more than the subservient controller he eventually became.
“But in that specific role he reached an absolute top level.
“Nigel decided he was going to be a pit bull and that’s it.
“Ryan is also very versatile and I recommend him to make a similar choice.
“In a role like Patrick Vieira once played at Arsenal and France.”
Slot snubbed Spurs, hates defending and has a PASS named after him
By Dan King
LIVERPOOL’S new manager Arne Slot was a good enough player to have a type of pass named after him.
But it is as a manager that the Feyenoord head coach is really making his mark.
Like another bald Dutchman, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, Slot earned his stripes bossing smaller sides before being given a chance at one of the Netherlands’ big three.
But the question Liverpool are pondering is whether Slot would make a better fist of running one of the biggest clubs in the world than Ten Hag so far has at Old Trafford.
Slot, 45, was certainly easier on the eye as a player than centre back Ten Hag.
“The Arne Slot Ball” was something he perfected as a silky No 10 – a back-to-goal, first-time, 180-degree spin and flick behind the defensive line for a winger to run on to deep in the opposition half.
Click here to read all about the incoming Liverpool boss.
Gravenberch recently discussed his first year at Anfield and says he was happy after getting more game time than he had done at Bayern.
He said: “That’s why I’m satisfied with my season at Liverpool. I wanted to make more minutes and I succeeded.
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“I have played good matches, but also lesser ones. No, I’m not as tired as I am after a season where you’ve played everything.
“I haven’t played everything. Can that freshness be an advantage? Well, I’m ready if you ask me. Anyway, first let’s be part of the final selection.”
Liverpool go Dutch
WHO’S who in the Liverpool dugout next season.
Manager Arne Slot, 45
Slot has led Feyenoord for three seasons, wining the Eredivisie title in 2023 and the KNVB Cup in 2024.
A former footballer in Holland, he is known to be a perfectionist and favours attacking football like Jurgen Klopp.
Assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff, 49
Hulshoff currently serves as Ronald Koeman’s assistant manager with the Holland national team and also works alongside Slot at Feyenoord.
He has had two spells as manager at little-known Dutch side Cambuur.
Head of performance Ruben Peeters, 31
A former fitness coach at Genk, Peeters has been working with Slot at Feyenoord since 2021.
The Belgian has a Master’s Degree in Sports Sciences.
Chief analyst Etienne Reijnen, 37
Former centre back who retired from football in 2020 to move into coaching.
In October 2023, Reijnen joined Feyenoord as assistant coach, to focus on analysing and providing technical advise to Arne Slot.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
