Man Utd and Liverpool target ‘better than Bellingham at everything’ says Van der Vaart

Tom Weber

• Updated: 19 Apr 2023 09:51 BST
• 3 min read

Rafael van der Vaart has claimed that out-of-favour Bayern midfielder Ryan Gravenberch is a better player than Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham is one of Europe's hottest commodities, but his hefty price tag may put off potential suitors as has indeed already happened with Liverpool. The names of cheaper alternatives have, therefore, been floating around the market for a while and one player has crystallised as a viable value-for-money target for Europe's biggest sides: Ryan Gravenberch.

Linked with Liverpool and Manchester United - the latter coached, of course, by his former manager Erik ten Hag - the 20-year-old has seen his stock rise due to the Bellingham revelations in recent weeks despite still not featuring regularly for Bayern. His lack of game time, however, should not cloud the judgement of his talents.

READ: Milan eye Greenwood with Man Utd future unclear

The Dutchman is still one of the most promising young players in Europe, and according to one of his compatriots, he may even be better than his younger English counterpart.

What did Van der Vaart say?

Speaking to Ziggo Sport, the former Tottenham, Hamburg and Real Madrid man made some eyebrow-raising claims about Gravenberch and Bellingham.

"Do you know what is the most important thing when you go to a new club? The first two weeks," the 109-time Dutch international said. “You have to show in every training, every practice game that you are a justified purchase."

"It would actually be good," the now-retired midfielder asserted, "for Gravenberch to be loaned out to [former club] Ajax again. You just have to play football. Can you remember a player who sat on the bench at Bayern in the 1990s? You earn a lot of money…nice, but no, you have to play football."

READ: Man Utd battle with Ajax over 17-year-old wonderkid

"What I think is the big difference," van der Vaart concluded, "is that Bellingham is one step down at a club [Borussia Dortmund] and always playing. I think Gravenberch is better than him. In everything. Especially in physical terms."