Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for Liverpool in their win over Everton on Monday night

Cody Gakpo has explained why he is not fazed by criticism that has been aimed his way early on in his Liverpool career.

The Reds agreed a deal worth potentially more than £40m with add-ons with PSV Eindhoven in the January window for the World Cup breakout star. Liverpool beat Manchester United to the signing of the Netherlands international, who scored three goals in Qatar, but he has found things tough in his short time on Merseyside so far.

In his first six appearances at Anfield, Gakpo failed to score a goal or provide a single assist. However, that changed in the Merseyside derby on Monday night.

Gakpo opened his account for the club to seal a 2-0 home win over Everton. His tap-in came after fellow strikers Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah had combined to open the scoring.

Speaking after the victory over the Blues, Gakpo reflected on the struggles that he’s dealt with in his early days as a Liverpool player. The 23-year-old also admitted that he could have spoken with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp about any problems, but explained why he chose not to.

“Of course, as a striker, you always want to score and give assists,” Gakpo told Viaplay Netherlands. “In the end, though, it’s about winning and if that too doesn’t work out, then it’s tough.

“I have to be honest; I don’t really read it (criticism). I get it of course.

“That’s not so nice for any normal person, but you have to deal with that. I don’t think I get confused by that.

“I think I could have gone to Jurgen Klopp for that, but I didn’t. That was not necessary for me.”

The derby success ended Liverpool’s wait for a first Premier League win of 2023. Another, at Newcastle United on Saturday night, would really boost their chances of finishing in the top four.