Netherlands captain Virgil Van Dijk has no doubts new signing Cody Gakpo can deal with the stress at Liverpool.
The 23-year-old ahead, who has joined from PSV Eindhoven for an preliminary charge of £38million, is about to make his debut within the FA Cup tie at house to Wolves.
There are parallels with Van Dijk, as Gakpo’s fellow Dutchman additionally made his first look for the membership in a third-round tie having agreed a transfer previous to the January switch window opening.
Whereas supervisor Jurgen Klopp will give Gakpo loads of time to acclimatise, the expectation realistically – contemplating his type this season and the impression Luis Diaz had arriving final January – shall be for him to contribute considerably and supply the spark Liverpool want up entrance as Darwin Nunez continues to overlook probabilities.
“I feel he’ll deal with it superb however you haven’t any thought what it’s like till you’re beneath this kind of stress,” mentioned Van Dijk, who is about to overlook the subsequent month after a hamstring damage at Brentford on Tuesday proved to be extra critical than first thought.
“He should hold his head down and take a look at what we’re doing as a gaggle and hearken to the supervisor, hearken to the gamers round you and don’t pay attention an excessive amount of to the surface world since you might be the most effective on this planet sooner or later and one of many worst the subsequent. It’s by no means one thing within the center.
“He has to remain calm and I feel he’ll do this. He’s that sort of individual.”
Gakpo’s 13 objectives and 14 assists, plus his type on the World Cup the place he scored in every of the Netherlands’ three group matches, made him certainly one of Europe’s hottest properties and Liverpool swooped in to fend off curiosity from the likes of Manchester United.
He joins a misfiring ahead line which now numbers six, though three – Roberto Firmino, Diaz and Diogo Jota – are injured and none are in any kind of type, with the membership having simply been humiliated at Brentford to depart them seven factors off the highest 4.
“I feel he might be superb for us. I really feel like he’ll and he in all probability wants a little bit of time,” added Van Dijk.
“We want high quality gamers and we’d like gamers who can resolve video games and I feel over time he can positively be a kind of gamers, hopefully.”
Van Dijk’s damage provides him to the record which additionally contains midfielders James Milner and Arthur Melo.
Klopp mentioned they are going to take a more in-depth take a look at the info to see if one thing might have been averted however believes one of the best answer is fewer matches – and higher squads.
“We all the time attempt to determine precisely why issues occurred and if we made a mistake we won’t make it a second time, I can promise that at the very least,” he mentioned.
“However sadly issues occur and we have now to cope with it.
“There are just a few gamers who play for his or her membership on a regular basis and their nationwide staff on a regular basis. I feel within the Premier League Harry Kane would have precisely the identical variety of video games. That’s the highest degree of depth.
“Should you ask me now whether or not it will have been a good suggestion to depart Virgil van Dijk out towards Brentford then sure. Did anyone take into consideration leaving him out? No. Him included. There was no motive for it.
“That is what I’m speaking about on a regular basis once I say we have now to cut back video games, FA Cup replays or no matter.
“Folks inform us to depart them out and rotate however who leaves their finest gamers out? It’s not that straightforward.
“Now we have to type that sooner or later with larger squads and extra degree squads internally. Is that doable? I don’t know. However it’s in all probability the one approach to cope with it for worldwide and membership groups.
“It’s the course we have now to develop in if no person reduces the video games.”
