Liverpool fans may have been shocked not to see Ryan Gravenberch among the nominees for the 2025 PFA Young Player of the Year award, despite winning the Premier League’s equivalent prize.
Gravenberch started 37 matches in the Reds’ title-winning campaign, with the exception coming in the defeat at Chelsea in May, the week after Liverpool secured the title. The Dutchman played an instrumental role in the club’s 20th top-flight success and formed a robust partnership with Alexis Mac Allister in the center of the pitch.
Arne Slot's decision to redeploy the midfielder in a holding role in front of the back four proved to be a stroke of genius, and his displays saw him nominated for the Premier League Player of the Year Award. He also scooped the young player prize.
Yet when the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) announced their shortlist on Wednesday, Gravenberch was not selected. That was due to the different age restrictions, with the PFA stating a player must be 21 or younger during the campaign to qualify for the underage prize.
At 23, Gravenberch qualified for the Premier League award, but not the PFA.
Instead, his potential new teammate Milos Kerkez is among the candidates after a stellar season for Bournemouth. He is expected to complete a move to Liverpool in the next few weeks, information his father and brother have all but confirmed.
Ryan Gravenberch was a surprise exclusion from Liverpool's squad against Chelsea
Ryan Gravenberch has now won league titles in the Netherlands, Germany and England. (Image: Getty Images)
Along with Kerkez, three other players linked with a summer move to Liverpool are among the contenders. Dean Huijsen’s solo campaign at the Vitality saw him draw interest from several of Europe’s top clubs, but he ended up at Real Madrid rather than Anfield.
He has been included in the six-man shortlist along with Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea in a £30 million ($40M) move earlier this summer.
Fellow Manchester City youth-team player Morgan Rogers has been linked with a move from Aston Villa to Liverpool, after a stellar season in which he scored eight goals and provided 11 assists in the Premier League
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold was the last Liverpool player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award. (Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwanieri are the final nominees following breakthrough campaigns in North London. Both aged 18, the pair could win this award in the years to come.
Cole Palmer scooped the prize last season, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was the last Liverpool player to win it in 2020.
The senior PFA awards are yet to be announced, but Mohamed Salah is expected to claim the top prize once again. Gravenberch may well be among the six players shortlisted, while Virgil van Dijk could also be in the frame.