Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo is still finding his feet at Anfield but really didn’t impress the Spanish media against Real Madrid.
The Reds raced into a 2-0 lead and Liverpool fans were left dreaming of another famous night at Anfield.
The night turned into a disaster though and Real secured a thumping 5-2 win as they cut through Liverpool at ease.
Few Liverpool players covered themselves in glory in this game and the Spanish media really weren’t impressed with Gakpo.
Mundo Deportivo described Gakpo as ‘harmless’ as they noted he didn’t take a single shot in his 64 minutes on the pitch.
The Spanish newspaper even claimed that Gakpo was ‘a shadow’ of the player he was at PSV Eindhoven.
This wasn’t a great night for Gakpo after showing promise with goals against both Everton and Newcastle United.
Cody Gakpo needs time at Liverpool
Gakpo, 23, joined Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven in January having looked more likely to sign for Manchester United for many months.
The wide man seemed like a luxury signing for Liverpool given their issues in defence and midfield but the Reds felt they needed to strike.
Gakpo smashed nine goals and 12 assists in 14 league games for PSV this season before shining at the World Cup in Qatar.
Liverpool felt convinced by Gakpo but the results so far have been a little underwhelming.
Two goals and no assists in nine games isn’t disastrous but it’s not really what Liverpool were expecting either.
The truth is that Gakpo needs time to shine. The jump straight from the Eredivisie to the Premier League can be enormous, as seen with the likes of Afonso Alves, Davy Klaassen, Vincent Janssen and Ryan Babel.
Antony is finding this at Manchester United too and Virgil van Dijk had to go to Scotland before eventually finding his way to English football.
Gakpo has the quality to become a major success at Liverpool and he needs to try and move past a tricky night against Real.
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