It’s no secret of Ajax’s arduous and significant emphasis on developing youth and blooding them into their first-team. They are one of the world’s most prominent and decorated clubs when it comes to their youth setup, with a whole host of highly coveted youngsters previously and currently emerging from such a prestigious and exciting club.

There’s been no change in the Ajax philosophy ever since: they invest tremendously in youth, making sure that the players receive the best physical and mental development, and even more importantly, that they are granted the earliest possible trust at the highest level.

One player currently making waves right now, earmarked within the club as a future world class talent, is 18-year-old midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who has drawn much stark comparisons to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba because of his stature, style and technical abilities on the ball.

This scout report will provide a detailed analysis of his growth and development, and also what he brings and could offer a talented Ajax side in the immediate future.

Who is Ryan Gravenberch?

Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Gravenberch is actually of Surinamese descent. The midfielder has come through the ranks at the Ajax academy after joining them in 2010 at the age of just eight.

Gravenberch has successfully progressed through the youth system and from the under-17s all the way to the first team in the space of three years. He’s also registered 15 caps to his name as a Netherlands under-19s international and after flirting with making a first team appearance during the 2018/19 campaign, he’s certainly stepped up when given the opportunity last season, before the Eredivisie’s cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He featured in 12 outings for the senior side, scoring three goals and providing a single assist, while continuing to impress and flourish when featuring for the youth team too. He’s carried on his terrific progress this season, and has already matched those numbers with 2 goals and 4 assists to his name so far in all competitions. Gravenberch became the youngest ever player to feature for the first team after making his debut against PSV in September 2018, at the age of 16 and 130 days surpassing the record set by Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf.

It says much about him that well-renowned super agent Mino Raiola swiftly moved to sign him up as a client, all combining to make a telling narrative of how much of a prestigious talent Gravenberch really is.

What is Gravenberch’s style of play?

Standing at 6ft tall with a relatively slight frame, its easy to see why many would consider Gravenberch to become the ‘next Paul Pogba’. If you ever see him in full flow, then you’d know why such comparisons are drawn.

However, Gravenberch is a more deep-lying and defensive product in comparison to Pogba. While he holds the necessary qualities such as ball control, power, size and technical skills to drive his team up the pitch with such dominance and elegance, he’s required within Erik Ten Hag’s system to keep things ticking over in midfield.

When playing for the first team, he is regularly used as a pivotal defensive midfielder in Ajax’s customary 4-3-3 shape or as a left-sided deep-lying midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 system. By this, he mostly serves as the most deep-lying member of the central trio which allows his teammates to join the attack and enjoy a free role when on the ball. Gravenberch sticks to his position providing cover for his fellow midfielders, becoming the focal point when possession is being recycled and also screening in front of the back four.

One of the most prominent elements of a deep-lying player is not only his passing abilities but also his defensive duels. In this area, Gravenberch already holds the size, strength and long legs to help him thrive in such roles. He averaged 7.72 defensive duels per 90 per game last season – a decent figure considering he doesn’t play week-in, week-out for the side. With an outstanding success rate of 68.18%, he’s better than most in the division at winning his defensive battles whether in the air or on the ground.

Just because he’s at the tender age of 18, doesn’t mean he can’t stamp his authority on games and that he performs with such grace and admirable aplomb. So far this season, he’s been an integral cog in Erik Ten Hag’s evolving Ajax side, and has more or less established himself as a first team regular and its well deserved. At the time of writing, he’s featured in 38 matches providing four goals and and six assists including a superb effort against FC Midtjyland in the group stages of the Champions League.

With his massive presence in the heart of midfield, he aids his team tremendously in controlling the game and switching from defence to attack within an instant. Gravenberch’s youthful exuberance and elegance on the ball makes him a joy to behold in full flow, hustling and bustling his opponents as well as dribbling with the ball to get out of pressure. His nimble footwork and quick change of feet means he’s more than capable of dribbling his way out of trouble, even if its deep in his own half.

The ability to read the game quickly and effortlessly is a fundamental feature of Ajax’s system. Gravenberch holds great vision both in attack and defence. When defending, he needs to be able to read the game in full, anticipating what’s about to occur in the opponents attack and tailor his movements and actions precisely and proactively.

The Dutch wonderkid is very good at cutting passing lanes and stopping opponents finding much more dangerous players in between the lines. His 7.43 interceptions per 90 recorded in the Eredivisie last season is over 40% better than the average. This year, he averages 1.6 interceptions and 1.7 tackles per game {WhoScored}.

While his physical stature is a stand out feature, its his incredible attributes when turning defence into attack that is equally impressive. It is the hallmark of his game. He applies such swift acceleration to bring the ball out of trouble by performing long progressive runs into the middle and final third of the pitch.

Gravenberch plays at such fine rhythm and is difficult to stop when at full speed. Players his age could perform such roles, but panic when it comes to most important aspect of distributing the ball at the right moments to the right players, the 18-year-old is adept at playing the right pass at the right time to influence the attack.

His explosive style was further highlighted in his average of 3.16 progressive runs per 90 last season, the best average in the whole of the Eredivisie. Gravenberch is also equally important in transitions when he doesn’t have the ball, constantly making the right movements to receive the ball or searching for empty zones across the middle third.

It allows Ajax the opportunity to dominate play in those areas, as well as providing the adequate options to overpower the opponents. When opponents press Ajax defenders, Gravenberch regularly picks up convenient pockets of space so his teammates can easily find him to overcome that pressure.

In the Ajax academy, Gravenberch has grown up within a system that places such emphasis on keeping possession, where controlling the game with short, neat, quick passes is placed above everything else. Because of his development within such philosophies, Gravenberch is deeply accustomed to this style of play and fits the system perfectly. His passing success rate at 86.8% is the best amongst his peers.

While the majority of his passes are safe, not taking too much risk, it still holds such vital importance to Ajax’s build up play. It shouldn’t take away the fact that Gravenberch can of course perform risky passes, the elegance at which he so effortlessly performs requires much risk, but its hugely rewarding to Ajax’s swift and exciting football. Gravenberch constantly attempts to find his teammates around the penalty box, highlighted through his 11.75 passes into the final third per90, and 1.3 key passes per 90, despite playing so deep in midfield.

Although the player spends most of his time in the midfield, far from the goal, he does not shy away from stepping out of his midfield zone and take part in the combination plays. Ajax’s system under Erik Ten Hag requires and demands such freedom and risk and that’s why Gravenberch thrives. Being excellent with his feet, he can easily be involved in one-touch plays and can support his teammates in the short build-ups. He averaged 2.2 dribbles per game last season which means he is hugely influential within the final third when he needs to be.

Gravenberch is on his way to becoming one of the most complete midfielders if he carries on this impressive rapid and yet, steady progression.

What does the future hold for Ryan Gravenberch?

Ryan Gravenberch is a player blessed with such tremendous and unique midfield qualities. At his tender of age, he holds a knowledge and understanding of the game that most his age would kill for, which means he’s already ahead of a lot of aspects to develop and learn. There is nothing to doubt about his talents and capabilities but these alone will not allow him to fulfil his promise.

A lot will depend on his application, personality and drive to succeed.

He’s already at the right club to thrive, and a move elsewhere can’t be on the agenda, despite the fact that Mino Raiola is his agent. Embedding himself as one of the key players of the Ajax first team must be his priority and his experiences so far shows he can perform to such levels every week as he’s already doing so far this campaign.

Gravenberch is an an exceptional talent, and a player of his talents will surely be given more responsibilities as well as freedom to express himself as the season progresses. It’s no doubt he will be, Ajax offers such flexibility in abundance, ranging from the youth sides right down to the first team. Gravenberch is no different. Despite being just 18 years of age, this season could be a defining one for him, a chance to further stake his claim amongst the elite in Europe.

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