Liverpool reacted to criticisms from Ronald Koeman on Ryan Gravenberch after he refused to join the Netherlands U-21 national team.
The Reds had an excellent transfer window in terms of players joining the team. After the successful addition of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo they signed Ryan Gravenberch to complete the midfield rebuild.
Although most of the players have left the club during this international break to join their respective national teams, the Dutchman has stayed back at Liverpool to settle into the city and train by himself.
His decision to not join the Dutch U-21 national team made the team’s coach Michael Reiziger unhappy. Now Ronald Koeman has spoken out about the situation.
Liverpool clarify the Ryan Gravenberch-Ronald Koeman situation
As quoted by the Duch media outlet Voetbal Nieuws, the Dutch senior team manager is not very happy with Gravenerch’s decision. He stated,
“For Ryan Gravenberch, we are not happy with that. Nigel [De Jong] has also been in contact with him.
You can make a step through good performances at the Dutch Juniors.”
The manager also criticized Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong for turning down a call-up to the juniors. He said,
“We are not happy with cancellations at the Dutch Juniors. We believe he [Jeremie Frimpong] should always be available.
Within the KNVB we have said that he is not available for this period. That is your duty as a player, to play for any team.”
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Merseysiders are ‘baffled’ over Koeman’s outburst. The report says that the Anfield outfit even informed the KNVB about Gravenberch’s withdrawal, with the Dutchman also explaining his case.
And that is why the response from the Barcelona legend has surprised quite a few Reds chiefs. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old has decided to completely focus on establishing himself at his new club rather than joining the national team.
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