A big fan of Thierry Henry, the Liverpool striker will be keen to show in front of the France that he could one day stand up to the comparison with his model.

The 23-year-old Gakpo revealed himself to the world by scoring three goals last winter in Qatar, which earned him a transfer to the Reds for 42 million euros paid to his training club, PSV Eindhoven.

A surprise transfer as the Reds needed a midfielder rather than a striker while those close to the player, his coach Ruud van Nistelrooij in the lead, pushed him to Manchester United.

On the banks of the Mersey, in a struggling team, he was slow to find his feet: no goals, no assists in his first six games.

Sparkling and author of a double in early March during the correction inflicted on Manchester United (7-0), the Dutchman hopes to finally be launched.

Now scorer four times in nine Premier League games, the slender winger (1m93) could quickly become "the darling of Anfield", according to his coach Jurgen Klopp who hopes to quickly find the Gakpo version Qatar.

Before his arrival in England, mid-season in the jersey of PSV, he had shaken the net 13 times and recorded 17 assists in 24 games!

The French central hinge Konaté/Upamecano is therefore warned, Gakpo can be a poison for defenses.

It remains to be seen how coach Ronald Koeman will use it. The trend is to line him up on one wing of the Dutch 4-3-3, paired with striker Wout Weghorst and other winger Memphis Depay. While at Liverpool his future is perhaps more in the axis.

Formed with Remco Evenepoel

"His best position? On the left flank, noted recently in the local press Twan Scheepers, his trainer at the academy in Eindhoven. I'm not saying he's Thierry Henry. But, seeing the way he runs towards the goal, his placement, I understand why Cody is a big fan of the Frenchman."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp congratulates striker Cody Gakpo on March 5, 2023 in Liverpool, England during their 7-0 win over Manchester United © Paul ELLIS / AFP/Archives

Nicknamed "De tovenaar" (the magician), Gakpo is "all in one", summarized at the end of 2022 the specialized magazine Voetbal International for which the native of Eindhoven is "the meeting of Robben, Sneijder and Van Persie". Just that.

Gakpo has versatility for him. A quality that had seduced Klopp, in search of variation in the offensive system of the Reds.

"In my eyes, he is typically a Liverpool player: he has positive energy, he does a huge job and he knows how to play in different positions," said his compatriot Dirk Kuyt, who wore the Reds shirt from 2006 to 2012.

"Cody always thinks two or three moves ahead. There are not many players who have that, had told The Athletic Pep Lijnders, Klopp's Dutch assistant who, along with Virgil van Dijk, plays a big role in the integration of the young striker, whose maturity impresses.

These qualities will be valuable for the Netherlands with whom he would like to "one day become world champion", he said in Qatar.

World champion like a certain Remco Evenepoel, the Belgian winner of the last World Cycling Championships, who had evolved with Gakpo in the youth teams of PSV before turning to cycling.

"I had a good contact with Remco and I'm super proud of him. He's very inspiring," Gapko said in December.

© 2023 AFP