Ryan Gravenberch and Arne Slot hold talks over new Liverpool role

It has been the problem position that has gnawed away at Liverpool for several seasons. Now, though, there has potentially emerged an unlikely solution.

Having been thwarted in attempts to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, Reds head coach Arne Slot kept faith in the pre-season experiment of playing Ryan Gravenberch as one of two deeper-lying midfielders for the season opener at Ipswich Town last weekend.

It paid off handsomely, with Gravenberch one of the more impressive performers as Liverpool overcome a sub-par first half to ultimately begin the Slot era with a 2-0 triumph.

With the Reds not expected to turn their attentions to recruiting another number six ahead of Friday evening's transfer deadline, the opportunity will be there for a current player to seize their chance and nail down a regular place in the role, with Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo also competing for a start.

Gravenberch, though, is the man in possession and will almost certainly continue for the Premier League visit of Brentford on Sunday.

And the Holland international has revealed holding talks with Slot over his role in the team this season having been used intermittently by Jurgen Klopp in a various number of positions during his debut Liverpool campaign last term.

“I had a little chat with him and he said I have to focus on the number six and number eight positions," said Gravenberch.

“Now I play at number six. In the past I played it as well so I know what I have to do. I’ve enjoyed playing there.

“It’s a little bit of a different system than we played last season, but I think everyone has adapted to it. Now we have to build it further and further. I think at the end we can be a really dominant team.”

Of Liverpool's first home game of the Premier League season, Gravenberch added to liverpoolfc.com: “It is special.

"Hopefully the weather is also good on Sunday! But to see the fans again, I’m really looking forward to it.

“We know where we stand. Brentford are a good team, they have a good team.

"In the Premier League there are no easy games, so we know it will be tough. But we’ll give everything and hopefully we can get the win.”

Slot last weekend became the first Liverpool manager since Graeme Souness in 1991 to win his first league game in charge.

And Souness is the only boss in more than 125 years to win his first two league matches, although both games were at home.

Not since 1895 and John McKenna has a newly-installed boss won their first two games after taking over for the start of a campaign.

The portents appear favourable for Slot with Liverpool having not lost their first home league game of a season in the last 21 years since Chelsea won 2-1 at Anfield in August 2003.

Remarkably, though, only twice in the Premier League era has a new Liverpool boss won their first home league game, with Rafa Benitez doing so in 2004 when Manchester City were beaten 2-1 and Roy Evans helming a 1-0 win over Coventry City a decade earlier.

Jurgen Klopp, Brendan Rodgers, Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson and the joint project of Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans all drew on their Anfield league bows, while Houllier in sole charge saw his team thumped 3-1 by Leeds United.