Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman believes that Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo made his big-money move to the Premier League too early in his career.
The highly sought-after Dutchman was on the radar of Manchester United for several months, and the Red Devils were seemingly the frontrunners for a January deal after being knocked back by PSV Eindhoven in the summer.
However, Liverpool unexpectedly stole in to hijack Gakpo's move to Old Trafford, and they agreed a £37m deal with PSV, rising to £44m with performance-related add-ons.
The 23-year-old left for Anfield at the start of the January transfer window, signing a five-and-a-half year deal with Jurgen Klopp's side amid an attacking injury crisis.
With Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino all sidelined, Gakpo immediately cemented himself as a starter for Klopp, but he has endured a slow start to life in England.
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Gakpo is without a goal or assist in his first six appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, during which time the Reds have won just once against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup.
The former PSV man has made three starts in the Premier League against Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Liverpool took just one point from those fixtures and failed to find the back of the net in all of them.
Speaking on a YouTube show hosted by former Netherlands international Andy van der Meyde, Koeman compared Gakpo's situation to that of Ryan Gravenberch, who has also failed to set the world alight since joining Bayern Munich from Ajax.
"The level in England is higher than in the Netherlands, but they are also young boys, aren't they? Like Gravenberch going to Bayern and not playing. Then that is difficult," Koeman said.
"You can see 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.
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"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."
Under the tutelage of Louis van Gaal, Gakpo netted three goals in three World Cup 2022 group matches, starting all five games for Oranje as they lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals.
The 23-year-old left PSV with an eye-catching total of 55 goals and 50 assists in 159 appearances, but he has also admitted that he is facing a "difficult situation" at Anfield.
"It's always different when you come into a team that was maybe first and winning every game, but it's now in a little bit of a difficult situation," Gakpo told Liverpool's eMagazine WALK ON.
"So for me it is to come in and show what I can. If we were in first I have to do that and now we are in another place I have to do that also. I just try to show my best side.
"The coach [Jurgen Klopp] gave me a really warm welcome and I really appreciated it. We had a good conversation and now he is helping me to adapt as fast as possible in the team and to his style of playing. To do that I need to keep working hard and improving."
Gakpo is expected to start when Liverpool - who sit 10th in the Premier League table - host Everton in Monday's Merseyside derby.
Ben Knapton
