Ryan Gravenberch won’t be joining up with the Netherlands U21 squad during the international break as he bids to settle into life at Anfield.
The midfielder arrived on deadline day in a £38.5 million move from Bayern Munich but wasn’t registered in time to feature in the 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
He will have to wait until after the upcoming set of international fixtures to make his debut, but he will be spending that break at the AXA Training Centre.
Gravenberch was named in Michael Reiziger’s squad for the clashes with Moldova and North Macedonia, but he has instead opted to focus on making a strong start to his Liverpool career.
The Dutchman has told Reiziger that he wishes to concentrate on integrating himself within the Reds’ squad and he has been replaced by SC Cambuur midfielder Fedde de Jong.
Unlike fellow new arrivals Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, Gravenberch wasn’t able to get a pre-season under his belt under Jurgen Klopp.
The two-week gap between fixtures provides the 21-year-old with an opportunity to get up to speed while his new colleagues are away on international duty.
The decision will be warmly received by Liverpool fans as it shows a willingness to make sacrifices for the good of his club career.
Liverpool travel to Wolves on September 16 in the first match after the break and Gravenberch will be keen to make his first appearance for the club at Molineux.
His arrival has got plenty of fans excited about what is to come and the decision to step away from national commitments indicates his desire to be a success.
Gravenberch was restricted to 24 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich last season, the majority of which came from the bench, so he will be determined to make his way into the manager’s plans swiftly.
The midfielder was reportedly “unhappy” with his lack of involvement at the German champions, something which was a big factor in his decision to move to Anfield.