Ronald Koeman, the manager of the Netherlands, has stated that he thinks Cody Gakpo may have joined Liverpool too soon in his career.
Similarly, PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted that Cody Gakpo disregarded his transfer recommendations regarding Liverpool and Manchester United.
Koeman: Gakpo joined Liverpool too early
Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands’ head coach, has questioned whether Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool too soon.
The fact that Gakpo has joined a Liverpool team that is in poor form and has yet to claim a league victory in 2023, according to Koeman, hasn’t helped.
The new Netherlands coach, Koeman, who took over after the World Cup, said that Gakpo’s transfer to Liverpool may have happened too fast on Andy van der Meyde’s YouTube show:
“Although the standard in England is higher than in the Netherlands, don’t forget that these individuals are still young. Similar to [Ryan] Gravenberch’s move to Bayern and not playing. Then, that is challenging.”
“You can see that he (Gakpo) has ended up in a team that is not doing well. Then, as a new signing, it gets harder for him. You immediately undergo a test.”
“It’s also really challenging if you don’t score, isn’t significant, or win any games, especially if you’re a new player. It would be different if that person had experience and was 28 years old.”
Ronald Koeman on Cody Gakpo's move to #LFC ?? [via @BBCSport]
?ļø"He has ended up in a team that is not doing well. If you don't score or you're not important and you don't win any matches, it's very difficult, especially for a young player."
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) February 8, 2023
PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy on Gakpo’s Liverpool transfer: Man United was his dream move
Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo’s “dream move,” according to PSV Eindhoven coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, was to join Manchester United.
“Manchester United was Gakpo’s dream move, and he was in communication with Ten Hag since last August,” Nistelrooy stated.
“I also wanted him to join United ā not just because it’s my club and I love them. But also because they are better than Liverpool and offer more potential to their players.”
“But United did not bid in January, so I urged him to wait ’til the summer,” Nistelrooy said.
“Something happened, and he disregarded my counsel to follow Virgil’s [Van Dijk] to join his team.”
“He informed me that he planned to relocate abroad in January. Gakpo would have been scoring goals for United by now because they have outstanding midfielders like Fernandes, Casemiro, and even Eriksen, who frequently set up scoring opportunities.”
Ruud van Nistelrooy is not happy Cody Gakpo ignored his advice ?#TelegraphFootball | #LFC | #MUFC pic.twitter.com/nhQHtLhyZw
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) February 8, 2023
Cody Gakpo’s Liverpool struggle
Before Liverpool stepped in, Gakpo was heavily linked to a move to Old Trafford, and a January deal appeared to be given.
The Netherlands forward was signed by the Reds from PSV for Ā£40 million, but he has had trouble adjusting to life in England.
Gakpo has failed to record a single-goal contribution in six starts across all competitions for Liverpool after contributing nine goals and 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie games this season.
Liverpool has only triumphed once this year, against Wolves in an FA Cup replay, and has suffered resounding losses to Wolves, Brighton, and Brentford in the Premier League.
They are in tenth place in the Premier League and will have difficulty making it into the Champions League.
Gakpo is not the only recruit who has struggled; Darwin Nunez has also fallen short of expectations after scoring just five Premier League goals. This has put Klopp under intense pressure.
