“Like a bulldozer” – Coach discusses ‘dominant’ Liverpool star’s development, always ‘driven and not afraid’

Over the course of the past two seasons, it became very clear to Liverpool and other clubs that Cody Gakpo was a special talent.

The Dutchman made the Eredivisie his playground last season and in the early days of the current one before the World Cup, which led to the Reds to make a move for him in January.

They didn’t really need him, with bolstering the midfield a bigger priority, but it appears Liverpool were simply ensuring that no one else got to him first.

Despite some early struggles, the forward has now found some momentum in Jürgen Klopp’s team, and looks set to be a part of the attack at Anfield for years to come.

Being a step above the rest around him is something he will need to work hard at at Liverpool, perhaps for the first time in his life, as he appears to have always been better than those around him since a very young age.

That’s what a few of his former coaches at youth level said to Elf Voetbal, as Bastiaan Riemersma recalled a young Gakpo around the age of six.

He said: “He was really looking forward to training sessions. From the first day, he was the person he still is today: driven and not afraid. He stood out as a person, and also as a footballer. You could immediately see that he was better than the others.

“We often played four against four. That was it: head down and like a bulldozer through his opponents. From day one, he was dominant at PSV.”