Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has been told he has been placed under greater pressure as a result of the poor form of Manchester United’s summer signing Joshua Zirkzee.
Gakpo has enjoyed a strong start to the season under Arne Slot, scoring two goals and providing two assists, building on the glimpses of quality he has shown since arriving at the club in January 2023.
The recent strong performances of Gakpo are in contrast to the struggles of United’s own Dutch attacker, Zirkzee, who opened his goalscoring account for the club on the opening day of the campaign but has not scored since.
It means Liverpool’s No.18 is in line to start for his country in their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Hungary and Germany, particularly as alternative frontline option Brian Brobbery is yet to score a league goal in 2024/25 for Ajax and has found the back of the net just once in 11 appearances.
Explaining how Gakpo has been negatively affected by the woes of Zirkzee and Brobbery respectively, former Ajax and PSV winger Kenneth Perez told Voetbal Primeur: “They [Zirkzee and Brobbery] both made it very difficult for him (Koeman). Just not in terms of goals.
“They don’t score goals, and that is a requirement for a striker. If Brobbey had not been so good against Germany, Zirkzee might have become the striker. But it is not a problem that you have two young strikers, is it?
“Then you can alternate. You can look at who is in shape at that moment. It is hoped that one of the two will score goals at some point. There is now a lot on Gakpo’s shoulders when it comes to scoring goals, and from midfield you cannot expect Reijnders to score every time.”
