"You can see..." - The "difficult" reason behind Gakpo's slow Liverpool start identified

Cody Gakpo’s slow start at Liverpool has been explained by Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman.

The 23-year-old signed for Liverpool from PSV Eindhoven in the January window as part of an initial £37million deal, after a blistering start to the season.

Gakpo netted some 13 goals and claimed a further 17 assists in just 24 games for PSV this term, while he also starred at the World Cup for the Netherlands.

The winger scored in all three of his country’s group games, before helping the unfancied Netherlands side reach the quarter-final in Qatar.

However, since arriving in Merseyside Gakpo has struggled to replicate his early season form. In six appearances for Liverpool, the attacker is yet to score a goal or register an assist, which has led to criticism in certain quarters.

Koeman explains Gakpo’s Liverpool woes

Koeman, who was recently appointed the coach of the Netherlands national team, explained why Gakpo has struggled to hit the ground running at Liverpool.

Speaking on a Youtube channel hosted by former Everton winger Andy van der Meyde, Koeman said: “The level in England is higher than in the Netherlands, but they are also young boys, aren't they?

“Like (Ryan) Gravenberch going to Bayern (Munich) and not playing. Then that is difficult.

"You can see that, that he has ended up in a team that is not doing well. Then it becomes more difficult for him, as a new signing. You are tested right away.

“And if you don't score or you're not important and you don't win any matches, it's very difficult, especially for a young player.

“If that was someone aged 28 with experience, it would be different.”

Despite his relative inexperience, Gakpo has been used in several positions while at Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp has deployed the player as a left-winger and as a centre-forward on various occasions.