Ronald Koeman has been speaking about Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo after the 24-year-old netted in both of the Netherlands’ recent international clashes.
The former PSV man, who moved to Anfield in January in a deal worth £37m, has struggled for form at club level during the opening four games of the Premier League campaign after being deployed in an unfamiliar midfield role by Jurgen Klopp.
Former Everton boss Koeman started our No. 18 on the left of his front three against both Greece and the Republic of Ireland recently, however, and the Dutchman appeared to flourish in his natural position.
“You have to understand that Gakpo is still a young player,” Koeman said (as quoted by Liverpool Echo). “When he first went to Liverpool, the team was struggling and that made it difficult for him to make a quick impact.
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“If you join a team that is doing well, then you have a chance to come in when the moment is right, but Liverpool needed something quickly and that was tough.
“You have to give him that time to develop and to adapt to the Premier League because it’s a different level.
“I know from my time in England that the intensity is much higher than he used to play in Holland but he’s young and he will learn and he will be better, but he has a great future. You can see his quality.”
There’s no doubt that Gakpo is a hugely talented player who has a bright future ahead of him at Anfield.
He impressed at former club PSV while operating on the left flank but was often deployed down the middle of our front three last term after moving to Merseyside.
The Eindhoven-born talent registered seven goals and a further three assists in 21 Premier League appearances last season and he’ll be eager to produce similar numbers this time around.
There’s a lot of competition at the top end of the pitch with only three positions available in attack and Gakpo is joined by the likes of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah in offering our German tactician a selection headache.
We look forward to seeing the Holland star settling in further at L4 and showcasing what he’s made of this season.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️