Cody Gakpo has earned some early praise thanks to his first-half involvement in the Netherlands’ clash with Poland in their opening Euros encounter.
The Dutchman got on the scoresheet before the half-hour mark, cancelling out Adam Buksa’s opener in Hamburg.
“Well it was always going to be that man Cody Gakpo coming off that left side. I think there he has just decided to take a punt but look at the space he has got,” Martin Keown spoke on BBC One.
“It takes a deflection off two players.
“Wojciech Szczesny absolutely no chance with that one.
“He is the absolute stand out player right now. Give him time, give him space and he’ll punish you.”
Elsewhere, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are involved in European Championship action going against Serbia this evening.
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The Liverpool No.18 amassed 22 goal contributions in 53 games (across all competitions) last term as Jurgen Klopp’s side secured a return to the top four spots.
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You would think it would be beneficial for Gakpo to have a fellow Dutchman take over the reins from our former 57-year-old boss.
Arne Slot will certainly be aware of the former PSV man’s talents having witnessed it firsthand in the Eredivisie.
The question now is whether or not our new head coach can be the man to unlock the 25-year-old’s potential moving forward.
It’s perhaps not last chance saloon for Gakpo in 2024/25, but this is the season he could really do with establishing himself as a reliable first-choice option.
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