Cody Gakpo

Gakpo made the switch to Liverpool during the January window to help fill the gap left by the injured Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.

“I’m sure he’s going to be a good signing for the future, but at the moment, I would defy even Lionel Messi to come in and look good in this team because it’s really struggling.” Gakpo last featured for Liverpool vs Chelsea on Saturday. “I feel sorry for him actually because he’s coming into a team that are really inconsistent and drained of all the confidence that we’ve seen in the past,” Owen told Premier League Productions.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has leapt to the defense of Cody Gakpo, who has struggled to make a mark at Anfield so far since his transfer from ...

"I think he’s trying to make an impact on games and have an influence, but he’s in a struggling Liverpool team right now," Wright-Phillips said. After that comes the Merseyside derby with the first-leg Champions League last-16 clash with Real Madrid also on the horizon in the middle of next month. "He had a couple of half-chances [against Chelsea] and it’s clear he’s trying. It is a completely different scenario to when Luis Díaz was brought into a flying Reds side this time last year. [Liverpool’s](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/transfer-news/liverpool-virgil-van-dijk-fsg-26038165) 0-0 draw with [Chelsea](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/liverpool-chelsea-james-milner-klopp-26037848), Owen leaped to Gakpo’s defense. [Gakpo](https://www.liverpool.com/liverpool-fc-news/features/cody-gakpo-liverpool-chelsea-promise-26030815) hasn’t scored a goal in any of his four games for [Liverpool](https://www.liverpool.com/) thus far and has at times looked a little off the pace.

Owen has sympathised with misfiring Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo and believes Lionel Messi would struggle to perform for the Reds at the moment.

“He had a couple of half-chances today [against Chelsea] and it’s clear he’s trying. I’m sure he’s going to be a good signing for the future but at the moment, I would defy even Lionel Messi to come in and look good in this team because it’s really struggling.” Michael Owen has sympathised with misfiring Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo and believes Lionel Messi would struggle to perform for the Reds at the moment.

Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique does not believe Cody Gakpo has the quality or the potential to become a world-class player.

The German boss made an obscure joke about his future as Reds boss that would certainly delight supporters. However, the Dutch forward has not impressed so far in a Liverpool shirt. I don’t see this kind of quality on him. Not like I did with Mane, or with Salah or Firmino. “I don’t look at him and think ‘oh my god’ he’s going to be world-class. He also recorded three goals and two assists in five UEFA Europa League matches.

Netherland's best player in World Cup 2022 moves from Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven to EPL's Liverpool.

If he grows to become Liverpool’s new hero at the age of 23-24, then Liverpool can return to the top and build a team for next several years. Klopp returned to a 4-3-3 when Liverpool hosted Chelsea FC yesterday, and Gakpo was given the role of the center striker. In his final full season with PSV (2021-22), Cody appeared 47 times between the domestic league and Europa League, scoring a total of 21 goals. Gakpo was born in 1999 to a Togolese father with Ghanaian ancestry and a Dutch mother in Eindhoven. Gakpo made his debut for PSV’s first team at the age of 19 in early 2019. Cody Gakpo made a positive impression in the Netherlands’ midfield, scoring three goals in group stage matches against Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar.

Michael Owen says he 'feels sorry' for Cody Gakpo after watching him since his transfer to Liverpool this month.

Gakpo is a very talented player and the club know that – it’s why he’s paid a reported £120k per week, say It’s a position he’s not too fond of – let alone at a new club that’s struggling. “He had a couple of half-chances and it’s clear he’s trying. He was unable to craft a single chance for teammates, too, and the Blues dispossessed him three times. The rest found the stands or a Chelsea defender as little went right for Gakpo. “I’m sure he’s going to be a good signing for the future, but at the moment, I would defy even Lionel Messi to come in and look good in this team because it’s really struggling.”