Cody Gakpo says he’s struck up a friendship with Curtis Jones since arriving at Liverpool at the start of the month.
Gakpo has found it tough going on the pitch so far, failing to score in his first four Reds outings. But things seem to be going well away from the games at least. Speaking to liverpoolfc.com today, the Dutchman said he’s settling in well.
“It’s a really good group. Everybody has helped me a lot and tried to make me feel at home as much as possible,” he said. “I hang around with Curtis [Jones] sometimes and with other players, like Ibou [Ibrahima Konate]. Everybody is nice and helping me, so that’s great.”
With international teammate Virgil van Dijk still injured, it’s nice to hear the rest of the Liverpool squad have taken Gakpo in. Well in, Curtis.
Jones doing his bit to help Gakpo
There have been question marks over Jones’ ability to find himself a place in this Liverpool squad recently. But this is undoubtedly part of the reason Jurgen Klopp likes to have him around.
Not only does he know the city incredibly, being a Scouser, but he’s also a bubbly character who gets on well with everyone. As seen by his instant friendship with Luis Diaz, he can build connections with new players very quickly. That’s a really important skill to have.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he should be kept on regardless, but right now, his ability still justifies a spot in the squad.
And if he’s helping players to settle in, all the better.
From Gakpo’s point of view, he perhaps needs a little bit of extra attention right now. When things are going well, as they were when Diaz arrived last year, this transition can be easier.
But with things at the club so out of sync right now, it would be easy for Gakpo to get lost in that.
Certainly, his performances are attracting a lot more scrutiny with Liverpool playing poorly as a whole. If he lets the negative noise surrounding his start at Anfield affect him, his head could go down.
Instead, it seems as though Jones, as well as the ever-cheerful Konate are keeping his spirits up. Gakpo will come good at Liverpool, he just needs to battle through this tough start. With the support of his teammates, he’ll get there.
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