Virgil van Dijk has said that Cody Gakpo needs time before Liverpool can hope to see him at his best, but has hinted that the striker will become an “important” player for the club.
The Dutch international, who recently signed with PSV for an initial £37m, has been in excellent form for club and country, and our No. 4 will hope to see him shine in the Premier League.
“Hopefully he (brings) a lot,” the Reds defender said (as quoted by The Athletic).
“Good player, good boy. I know what it’s like going into January. We have to give him time and I am very sure that the Liverpool fans will give him that time.
“We are family and the real ones who always have his back no matter what. He has to keep his head down no matter what, fight, enjoy the moment and be important to the football club.”
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Manchester United were believed to be weighing a move for the 23-year-old, but Jurgen Klopp’s team acted quickly and could have him available for tomorrow’s trip to west London to face Brentford.
Reports claimed that van Dijk played a vital role in ensuring the winger chose the Anfield outfit over any other team interested in his signing, but the former Southampton defender insisted he didn’t do much to convince our new No. 18.
“I think that is an exaggeration. I spoke to him and I can only say good things, ”she added.
“If it was me, it was an easy decision to make and I didn’t need convincing. If there were any questions he asked me, I gave him the honest answer. I’m very glad he’s here.”
Van Dijk is the captain of the Dutch national team and therefore knows what Gakpo is all about.
For PSV this season, the versatile attacker has 13 goals and 17 assists in 24 games (among all competitions) and also scored three goals at the World Cup in Qatar.
If tomorrow’s trip to the capital comes too soon for our new man to make his debut, you can look forward to seeing him during our FA Cup clash with Wolves on January 7.
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