Liverpool star's snub is a 'good sign' as Arne Slot makes his mark with selection
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has a host of forward options to pick from and is yet to hand Cody Gakpo a Premier League start with the Netherlands international only used as a substitute
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorMark Lawrenson admits Cody Gakpo is "unlucky" not to feature more for Liverpool but his lack of game time is a sign of strength within the team's frontline.
Gakpo joined the Reds following the World Cup in Qatar and has scored sporadically, but is yet to make himself a guaranteed starter. The Dutchman is yet to make a Premier League start under Arne Slot, but has appeared from the bench on six occasions.
There is no shortage of attacking talent at Anfield with Mohamed Salah a linchpin of the front three. Alongside him Diogo Jota has been regularly utilised with Luis Diaz also getting game time. The trio have scored 14 times between them in the opening weeks of the campaign.
It has left Gakpo struggling to get a start with Lawrenson admitting he has the potential to be a better player, but is too wasteful in front of goal. The former Red did recognise though that the Dutchman's failure to get into the team is a sign of their depth in attack.
He told Betting Expert: “Gakpo has been unlucky at Liverpool but he was good at the Euros. There’s always been a question mark as to whether he’s good enough to play. Bearing in mind he walked into a front three which was the best in the world in terms of Mane, Salah and Firmino. Jota has come in alongside Nunez who looks a handful and there’s a player in there.
"He has a knack of missing chances but there’s a player there. And then there’s Diaz who replaced Mane and Diaz has bided his time to show his class and has done so by working hard. You could never say Diaz doesn’t work hard enough. Now he’s got five or six goals and he’s playing out of his skin.
"As a manager myself I know how difficult it is to find centre forwards who score goals and run towards goal without the ball. Same with wide players. Loads want it to feet. Salah, Mane and Diaz will do that and hopefully Gakpo will slot in eventually and show his class. To have someone like Gakpo struggling to get into the Liverpool team is a good sign and at Liverpool the forwards are queuing up to get into the team.”
Gakpo's only starts have come in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup with Steve McManaman confessing that the Dutchman can consider himself hard done by as he continues to watch on from the bench under his new manager.
“If there’s one player you feel sorry for it’s Cody Gakpo," he told TNT Sports. "He has made a difference, he has been excellent. With the summer he has had you’d think he’d be one of [the] first players on [the] manager’s list. He is hard done by, he’s been fantastic.”
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