Cody Gakpo slated for Netherlands performance as thoughtful gesture used in harsh criticism

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo did not earn rave reviews from press in the Netherlands, despite his country cruising to a second consecutive 4-0 win in its final warm-up fixture ahead of Euro 2024.

In a promising sign ahead of the tournament, Gakpo was handed a start against Iceland, playing on the left of the Dutch attack. But while he earned the spot through the middle at Liverpool towards the end of the campaign, the media felt he was unable to truly stake his claim for a place in the XI at the Euros.

Gakpo was not among the goals, though Virgil van Dijk — his captain for club and country — found the net for the second game running. Meanwhile, Ryan Gravenberch was an unused substitute, while former Liverpool man Gini Wijnaldum came off the bench.

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Noting a 'quiet' game for Gakpo, Football Oranje awarded him a reasonably respectable 6/10. But other members of the national press were less generous.

Giving him a score of five, Voetbel Primeur delivered an accompanying brutal verdict. Gakpo was spotted before the game thoughtfully draping his jacket around the shoulders of a chilly-looking mascot, and the outlet suggested this was the Liverpool man's highlight of the night.

"Gakpo could not demonstrate that Koeman has no way around him," it wrote. "Keeping a player mascot warm during the Wilhelmus [the Dutch national anthem] by giving away his training jacket was his best action of the evening."

Perhaps concerningly for Gakpo's prospects, both Donyell Malen and Wout Weghorst managed to find the net after being introduced from the bench. While his display was not as bad as some of the comments suggested, a lack of end product could threaten his place as a regular in Germany.

The Netherlands begins its campaign against Poland on Sunday. It then faces a tricky test against France before concluding the group stage against Austria.

Liverpool.com says: Liverpool is fairly familiar with the version of Gakpo who looks pretty tidy but fails to make a telling impact in front of goal. However, he was making improvements in that department towards the end of the season, and observers in the Netherlands know from his PSV days that he has the capacity to explode into life.

In a strong Dutch team, killer instinct in the final third does look like one potential weak point. It will be up to Gakpo to prove he can be relied upon to provide it as the tournament progresses, and Liverpool would love to see that side of his game come to the fore.