The quality of a player will always matter more than how old they are, but Liverpool currently have something of a conundrum with regards to their midfield.
James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are all edging towards the end of their careers, while Curtis Jones is just starting out having only completed one season as a regular first team player.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are theoretically at the peak of their careers but have suffered numerous injuries while on the Reds’ books, which leaves Fabinho as the one man who is currently at an ideal age and who generally remains fit. Even then, he inevitably misses some games every season.
Liverpool appear to have a spot in the squad for a midfielder who should be in his prime, but could that man turn out to be the first signing of the Jurgen Klopp era?
Marko Grujic joined Liverpool in January 2016, yet in the five years since he has only made 16 appearances (and just five starts) for the club. He has experienced more different leagues than many players will in their careers, having gone out on loan to Cardiff City, Hertha Berlin and Porto.
With each move there have always been rumours that the team will make the move a permanent one, and there has also been reports that Grujic could be a target for Sassuolo this summer.
But what if he stays at the club? Gini Wijnaldum has left for Paris Saint-Germain, so this could prove to be the season in which the Serbian international finally makes a serious impact with Liverpool.
As you would expect from a man who stands 6’ 3” tall, the 25-year-old is excellent in the air, which is a very handy attribute to possess in the Premier League.
In 2019/20 Grujic won the eighth most aerial duels in the Bundesliga ( per FBRef ), and only two players who won a higher proportion of their total attempted at least as many as he did.
He was similarly strong in this area in Portugal last season, recording the highest win rate among players who attempted at least 78 aerial duels (and as an aside, former Red Sebastian Coates was second in the standings).
Grujic also demonstrated an ability to press to Liverpool’s required intensity while he played in the Bundesliga, even if Hertha’s lower possession average gave him more opportunity to win the ball.
Across his two years in Germany, he averaged 20 pressures per 90 minutes played. If we compare that to the Liverpool squad in 2019/20, as pressing was down throughout football last season, Grujic is a touch behind Oxlade-Chamberlain (22.7 pressures per 90) and Henderson (21.4), but ahead of Fabinho (18.5), Milner (16.3) and Gini Wijnaldum (15.0).
The former Red Star Belgrade man hasn’t created too many chances over the years but then doing so isn’t high on the list of requirements for a Liverpool midfielder at present anyway.
And he looks capable of getting the ball to the creative players in the final third, averaging 3.9 accurate passes there per 90 minutes while with Hertha. That puts him in a similar ballpark to the efforts of Wijnaldum (4.3) and Fabinho (3.9) last season, and he averaged more progressive passes than either man too.
It’s important to remember that from Liverpool’s perspective they don’t need Grujic to be a superstar. Nobody would expect him to immediately dislodge one of the likely midfield trio of Fabinho, Thiago or Henderson from the starting XI on a frequent basis.
If he can be a strong rotation option and substitute, then he can prove his worth in 2021/22. A cursory glance at his statistics in some key areas suggests he has the tools required to provide the Reds with exactly what they need.
Do you want an exclusive pre-season Liverpool preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.
.png?w=600)
