Gabriel Agbonlahor says ‘outstanding’ Liverpool player has ‘probably retired’ Casemiro after his display vs Man United

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Liverpool laid down the marker under Arne Slot and recorded a 3-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford before the international break.

A first-half brace from Luis Diaz set the away side on their way and Mohamed Salah got his name on the scoresheet after the interval to put the game beyond reasonable doubt.

Manchester United never really got going after a strong start to the game as Liverpool emphatically put them to the sword in front of their own fans.

Slot would’ve been happy with quite a few performances from his players, but Gabriel Agbonlahor has singled out Ryan Gravenberch for special praise after his midfield duel with Casemiro.

Gabby Agbonlahor blown away by Ryan Gravenberch’s performance

In his third start for Liverpool in the number six role, Gravenberch produced arguably the best performance of his Anfield career as he ran the show in the center of the park.

He was also heavily involved in the first goal as he nicked off a poor pass from Casemiro and drove forward with the ball, eventually playing in Salah who found an unmarked Diaz at the back post.

Agbonlahor feels Gravenberch put the final nail in Casemiro’s career with his performance at Old Trafford as the Brazilian was hooked at halftime for Toby Collyer.

“I thought he was outstanding yesterday. I really feel he probably retired Casemiro,” said Agbonlahor on talkSPORT.

“He might have that on his CV – ‘I retired one of the best defensive midfielders to play the game’. I felt his energy levels, his running off the ball, he’s running at pace, his little touches, I thought he was a delight to watch.”

Agbonlahor went on to sing Grabenverch’s praises further and believes the Dutchman is finally coming into his own under Slot after a lukewarm first season under Jurgen Klopp.

He continued: “He has been like that all season. I feel if you asked him last season, he would have been frustrated at his game time, but you can see why Jurgen Klopp brought him to the club. Very talented midfielder with legs.”

How has Gravenberch fared at Liverpool so far?

While Gravenberch started well at Anfield after sealing a £34m move from Bayern Munich last summer, he fizzled out towards the business end of the campaign and also struggled with injuries.

With Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo also joining the club in the summer of 2024, the Dutchman found regular game time hard to come by as he started just 12 Premier League games.

However, the arrival of a new manager has turned out quite well for Gravenberch, who seems to have nailed down a starting spot at the heart of the midfield.

What next for Gravenberch?

Liverpool missed out on Martin Zubimendi in the summer transfer window as the Spaniard opted to remain at Real Sociedad.

While the 25-year-old’s transfer snub came as a massive blow for the Reds, it opened up an opportunity for Gravenverch to stake a claim for a starting spot.

And so far, he’s taken his chance with both arms, having delivered assured performances in each of their three Premier League games so far.

David Ornstein feels Liverpool could return for Zubimendi in the future, but with four months to go for the January transfer window, Gravenberch has a big chance to make that position his own.

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