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Ryan Gravenberch has handed Liverpool a significant fitness lift before Saturday's vital encounter with Aston Villa by confirming he is available for selection. The Netherlands international has missed the Reds' last three matches after suffering an ankle problem in the fixture against Manchester United.
The 23-year-old sustained the injury early in the second half following a tackle involving Bryan Mbuemo. Whilst he tried to carry on initially, he was ultimately withdrawn shortly past the hour mark.
Gravenberch has since sat out Liverpool's victory over Eintracht Frankfurt and the subsequent defeats to Brentford and Crystal Palace. Nevertheless, boss Arne Slot confirmed during Friday morning's pre-match media conference that his fellow Dutchman could be involved against Villa having returned to squad training on Thursday.
"Ryan trained yesterday, (Alexander) Isak and (Curtis) Jones didn't yet," he said. "Timescale? I have said many times, the end phase of the injury, things can go slower or faster. Let's wait and see where they are.
"Ryan trained yesterday and with us today and we'll make the call if he can start. The other two 99.9% not in the squad."
After completing training on Friday as well, Gravenberch is now keen to return to action. "Yes, yes. I feel really confident," he told club media when asked about his readiness for the Villa match. "Yesterday I had a session, today as well. If everything is good, I will be there tomorrow."
With Jones battling fitness concerns and Alexis Mac Allister still working to regain peak sharpness after an extended period out injured, the Dutchman's return offers Slot vital midfield options.
Gravenberch's availability arrives at an opportune time for Liverpool as they look to end a worrying run that has seen them lose their last four Premier League matches and six of their previous seven games in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly, the midfielder is keen to contribute towards helping the Reds reverse their fortunes - starting with Villa on Saturday.
"(It would be) really important (for me to get back and help us turn things around)," he said. "Everyone around here, also the fans and us, need to go back to winning ways.
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"As a team we have to stick together. Everyone has to stick together, to be honest. Stick together, do the basic things right again and see from there.
"It's a huge week but the most important thing is to go game by game. That is Villa tomorrow and we have to be ready for that.
"They're really good now. It will be a tough game. We know they are really good also on the counter-attack, so we have to prepare for that as well. But I think if we do the basic things right again, we have a good chance that we will get a result."
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