Ryan Gravenberch plays down Liverpool fears as Reds without 'top player' vs Girona

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has dismissed any fears that he needs a break from the team, but concedes there will be a point when manager Arne Slot will have to rest him.

The Dutch international has clocked up 1685 minutes in 19 appearances this season, with only Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah seeing more action for the Reds.

Despite his impressive performances in midfield, Gravenberch struggled during last week's 3-3 draw with Newcastle United, particularly in the first half at St James' Park.

However, after a rare weekend off due to the postponement of the Merseyside derby because of Storm Darragh, the Dutchman insists he is ready for Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Girona.

"I feel good, I feel fit," said Gravenberch. "I think when you play a lot of minutes, you get fitter and fitter and that is the thing for me.

"For now it is nice to play every single game, but maybe in the future when you play a lot of games, now I think it is like 20 games in the Champions League competition, so if you reach the 60 or 70 [game] mark then that is really crazy, but for now it is OK."

Reflecting on his first season at Liverpool, he said: "For me the first season [at Liverpool] was not that frustrating, My aim was to play a lot more minutes than I did before (at Bayern Munich) and I did.

"I am just happy to play 90 minutes and be out on the pitch to show what I can do, so I am happy to be here."

He also acknowledged the flattery in being compared to Toni Kroos following Liverpool's win over Real Madrid, but insists he aims to carve out his own path in the game.

He added: "It is nice to hear that [Kroos comparison], of course, because Toni Kroos is a legend of the game, he did a lot of good things, so it is nice to hear. Do I look at other midfielders? No, not really to be honest, I just want to be myself."

On the topic of recent victories, he added: "It's nice to beat them (Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen) because they are really good teams, but we look game by game and then we see further.

"Of course you want to win every game, so for us our aim is to win every group game and then we will see further. But if we do win every game it means a lot to us."

Lastly, Gravenberch showed confidence in his teammates' ability to compensate for the absence of Alexis Mac Allister, stating: "We know Macca is a really good player and we will miss him.

"He is a top player with top quality but we also have other midfielders who are really good and I think they will show that tomorrow, also, so we'll see."