Cody Gakpo has been officially confirmed as a new Liverpool player, and will move to Anfield on January 1. However, fans may have to wait to see him in action, according to a new report.
The Reds made the announcement yesterday that Gakpo had joined the club from PSV for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old recreated the photo used to unveil Virgil van Dijk, as he stood in front of a Christmas tree whilst holding a Liverpool shirt.
Speaking upon the confirmation of the signing, Gakpo told the club’s official website: “I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments than they already did in the past years.
“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here, and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”
The Netherlands international, who scored three goals at the World Cup, will likely replace Luis Diaz as the Colombian recovers from knee surgery.
But he may not make his debut for a few weeks yet.
When will Gakpo make Liverpool debut?
The first game Gakpo is eligible for will be Liverpool’s Premier League clash at Brentford on January 2.
But The Telegraph report that the forward may not play for a number of weeks due to his lack of training since the World Cup, and to give him time to adapt to Jurgen Klopp’s high-pressing system.
The German manager has done this on a number of occasions with new Liverpool signings, giving the likes of Fabinho and Andrew Robertson the opportunity to get up to speed before regularly introducing them into the starting XI.
In addition, Ibrahima Konate made only four starts between his move from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 and late November in the same year.
Therefore, any decision to delay Gakpo’s debut would not come as a surprise, even though his competitors on the left side of Liverpool’s attack, Diaz and Diogo Jota, are currently injured.
Klopp comments on Gakpo ahead of Brentford clash
Klopp suggested on Thursday, prior to Friday’s league fixture against Leicester, that the Dutchman could perhaps feature against Brentford. However, he also played down expectations.
He explained: “There might be a chance [for him to play] against Brentford, but I think not really, to be honest, because January 1 is a bank holiday and all the papers … will have to be signed on the 2nd until lunchtime.”
If Liverpool’s newest signing does not play against Brentford, Klopp could use the time between then and the side’s next game to give Gakpo the opportunity to get used Liverpool’s system in training.
SOURCE: sportbible.com
