The Reds head coach praised Cody Gakpo and revealed when the Dutch winger could make his first appearance for Liverpool.
What did Klopp say about Cody Gakpo?
The Liverpool manager revealed that the Dutch player – who signed with PSV on Boxing Day and attended their match against the Foxes last week – impressed him in training. However, Jurgen Klopp stressed that Cody Gakpo could take some time to adjust to life in England, unlike teammate Luis Diaz, who joined the Reds this time last year and made an immediate impact on Merseyside.
The red boss praised that Cody Gakpo has been training for two days now and it’s a joy to watch, to be honest. According to Jurgen Klopp, in their forward injury situation it’s really nice to have a guy on the pitch who is obviously quite natural in a lot of things, a hurtful part of the game and he knows where the goal is, it’s very helpful. Cody Gakpo is obviously full of joy and enjoying every second of the moment, so this is very good.
Klopp is very positive about him, but he’s not sure if it’s helpful if they compare him. Diaz’s influence was really special, to be honest. Gakpo gets the same amount of time as each player. Cody has to settle in and it’s a shame it’s not that easy and he came from another league so it’s always difficult. It was the same for Luis, but they shouldn’t compare them. Klopp says they certainly expect a positive effect.
A little about the topic
While Jurgen revealed captain Van Dijk could face up to a month on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, he confirmed that Cody is in line to make his Reds debut in the FA Cup against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp stated that yes, he argues. According to him, he will be involved in the composition, of course. How exactly they will have to decide in the next few hours, but that’s okay. First impressions are brilliant. With all this stuff, injured strikers and stuff like that, they see a guy who is obviously a natural player on the pitch and knows where the goal is, it’s a lift for everyone. So, according to Klopp, it’s cool and in some way he will be involved, definitely.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk has backed new Reds signing Cody Gakpo to deal with signing pressure for Liverpool as the winger prepares to make his debut.
Gakpo might be one of those players
In typical fashion, the Reds moved at lightning speed to sign the Dutchman from under the Red Devils’ noses late last month. The arrival of Cody Gakpo was met with great excitement on Merseyside and international teammate Virgil backed him up to deal with the pressure of signing for Liverpool.
The Dutch defender said he thinks Cody Gakpo will handle it well, but they don’t know what it’s like until they’re under that kind of pressure. According to Virgil van Dijk, he will have to keep his head down and look at what they are doing as a group and listen to the manager, listen to the players around them and not listen too much to the outside world because they can be one of the best in the world one day and one of the worst next. It’s never something in between. Cody Gakpo needs to stay calm and he thinks he will. Gakpo is such a person.
Virgil thinks he can be very good for them. Van Dijk feels like he wants to and he probably needs some time. Virgil van Dijk says they need quality players and they need players who can solve games and he thinks that in time Cody Gakpo could definitely be one of those players.