Ryan Gravenberch, in the opinion of Michael Reiziger, made a “bad choice” by choosing to stay at Liverpool rather than travel with the Netherlands team for international duty.
On the eve of the English transfer deadline, the Reds acquired Gravenberch from the Dutch team for £35 million.
After moving from Ajax to Bayern Munich last summer, Gravenberch had grown frustrated with Thomas Tuchel over his lack of playing time as a squad player.
The Dutch international will assist Liverpool in coping with the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia. Gravenberch made the decision not to join the Dutch team this week, opting to stay on Merseyside and get accustomed to his new team.
Reiziger, a former defender for Barcelona and the Netherlands, believes the Liverpool midfielder made a mistake by declining the opportunity to represent his nation this month.
According to Reiziger, “I don’t think it’s a good decision,” the Dutch publication AD.
“Young lads occasionally make poor decisions. It is a privilege, in my opinion, to represent your nation. Sometimes, players can feel frustrated that they did not make the major Dutch team.
“I understand that, because you want to achieve the highest possible result, but disappointment is part of football.
“I played five international matches for the Dutch Juniors. I saw that as an honor. It can be a steppingstone to more. If you feel that, you will experience beautiful things. I know this because I have experienced it myself. But I’ve only seen happy faces here.
“I advised him to go to a club where he will play. I also really hope for him that he will play at Liverpool. Of course, it is attractive to be at big clubs, but at this age it is not good if you don’t play for a long time.
Although you can pick up a lot from the skilled players around you, some lessons are best learned through actual match scenarios.
Reiziger concurs with him, while Marco van Basten referred to Gravenberch’s decision to remain in Liverpool as “inappropriate towards Dutch football.”
Voetbalzone’s Van Basten stated: “It’s intolerable. I can see why he would want to do this, but you simply cannot. It’s improper for Dutch soccer and the national team. It shouldn’t be done, in my opinion.
