He's probably concerned Dunk might try to pass it to Pickford or one of the other defenders rather than smashing it long.
Which is ironic, because Dunk can play a long ball better than any of them anyway.
Not convinced about this at all. People were saying this about Gross two seasons ago. One below-par season playing insanely high-risk football at the back does not mean his ship has sailed. He's only 32, not 38!