Ronald Koeman, the manager of the Netherlands national team, believes Cody Gakpo struggled to adjust to life in the Premier League after joining a’struggling’ Liverpool squad, but he still has high hopes for the versatile forward.
The 24-year-old has had a productive international break, scoring in victories against the Republic of Ireland and Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifying round.
He hadn’t scored in Liverpool’s first four games of the season, making these his first goals of the year.
Gakpo has been placed deeper than normal in the midfield while the Reds undergo a significant center-field makeover.
Despite being well-equipped, Koeman thinks Gakpo has had difficulty making the most of his talent, but he still believes that he will do great things in the future.
The former Barcelona manager remarked, “You have to realize that Gakpo is still a young guy. ‘When he first arrived at Liverpool, the squad was having trouble, so it was challenging for him to have an immediate influence.
 “If you join a successful team, you have the chance to enter when the time is right, but Liverpool needed something quickly, and that was difficult.”
He needs that time to mature and acclimate to the Premier League since it is a different level, so you must give it to him.
“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,” I know from my experience in England. You can tell he’s good.
