Virgil van Dijk has said Cody Gakpo needs to be afforded time before Liverpool can expect to see him at his best but has tipped the forward to become an ‘important’ player for the club.
The Dutch international, who was signed from PSV for an initial £37m recently, has been in superb form for club and country and our No. 4 is looking forward to seeing him shine in the Premier League.
“Hopefully (he will bring) a lot,” the Reds defender said (as quoted by The Athletic).
“Good player, good boy. I know how it is to come in in January. We have to give him time and I’m very sure that the Liverpool fans will give him that time.
“We’re family and the real ones who always back him no matter what. He has to keep his head down no matter what happens, fight, enjoy the moment and be important for the football club.”
Manchester United were believed to be weighing up a move for the 23-year-old but Jurgen Klopp’s side were quick to act and could have him available for tomorrow’s trip to west London to take on Brentford.
Reports claimed that van Dijk played a vital role in ensuring the winger picked the Anfield outfit ahead of any other sides interested in his signature but the former Southampton defender insisted he didn’t do much to convince our new No. 18.
“I think that’s an exaggeration. I spoke to him, and I can only say good things,” he added.
“If it was me, it was an easy decision to make and I didn’t need to convince him. If there were any questions he asked me, I gave him the honest answer. I’m very glad that he’s here.”
Van Dijk is the captain of the Dutch national side and therefore knows what Gakpo is all about.
For PSV this term, the versatile attacker has 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 appearances (across all competitions) and also netted three goals at the World Cup in Qatar.
If tomorrow’s trip to the capital does come too soon for our new man to make his debut, you can expect to see him feature during our FA Cup clash with Wolves on January 7.