Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool from PSV for £37m in early January, but it looks like this is going to be a tough time for the Dutch international.
Gakpo’s lousy stats since moving to Liverpool.
Gakpo is still without a goal or an assist for The Kop after six appearances. Of the matches that Gakpo appeared on the field, Liverpool only won one match.
Previously, Gakpo scored 13 goals in 24 games for PSV with 17 assists, along with 3 assists at the World Cup for the Netherlands. At Liverpool, he averaged just four touches per game in the opposition box.
Gakpo only touches the ball 4 times per game in the penalty area
The fɑct that Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool was considered a sᴜrprise, because everyone thought the striker would land at Man Utd, the team is in need of a striker after the early liquidation of the contract with Ronaldo.
Not to mention, last summer, the Red Devils raised a problem with Gakpo, but then had to prioritize the finances to sign Antony, so they had to put it aside.
Perhaps disappointed by this missed deal, Cody Gakpo decided to choose Liverpool. But in fɑct, perhaps it is this player who is regretting that he did not listen to the advice of Van Nistelrooy, giving up his dream of playing football for the Red Devils.
“Cody Gakpo’s dream is to play for MU. He has been in contact with Erik ten Hag since last August. I also want him to come and play for the Red Devils,” the PSV captain said about the former student’s choice
Van Nistelrooy advises Cody Gakpo to join Man Utd instead of Liverpool
The former famous Red Devils striker added: “I advise not because it is my club and I love them but because MU is better than Liverpool and offers more potential to their players.
“Since Man Utd did not make an offer in January, I advise Cody Gakpo to wait until the summer.
“Something happened and he ignored my advice and followed Van Dijk to come to Liverpool. Cody Gakpo told me he wanted to go abroad in January.
“The trᴜth is that Liverpool is 10 times smaller than Man Utd, in every respect. At MU, Gakpo has already scored for Man Utd because they have great midfielders who can create many chances like Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and even Eriksen.”
Ronaldo Koeman: ‘Gakpo came to Liverpool too soon’
Ronald Koeman has no doubts about Cody Gakpo’s ability. However, he thinks Gakpo joining Liverpool at the age of 23 is a confusing choice. At this time, the Dutch striker is still looking for his first Liverpool goal after 6 appearances.
“Gakpo has joined a team that is not playing well. If you don’t score or don’t matter and don’t win any games, it’s going to be very difficult, especially for a young player. If it was someone at the age of 28, with combat experience, it would be different.
The caste in England is higher than in the Netherlands. But they are also young players. It’s like Gravenberch went to Bayern and didn’t play. Then everything will be difficult,” Koeman commented
Coach Ronald Koeman thinks Cody Gakpo chose the wrong time to move to Liverpool
Liverpool are 10th in the Premier League and just lost 3-0 to Wolves last weekend. Liverpool’s chances of competing in the top 4 are increasingly slim. However, Liverpool are still competing in the Champions League and will face Real Madrid in the round of 16 this February.
Liverpool’s schedule in February is also relatively difficult. They will have a Merseyside derby against Everton early next week before facing Newcastle.
Scoring is a problem for Liverpool this season. The duo of rookie strikers Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo both failed to meet expectations. Mohamed Salah is also seriously in decline. In addition, a series of Liverpool’s attacking players Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino were injured, so coach Klopp had less options.