Cody Gakpo: Liverpool assess injury as Van Dijk stance proves vital

Standfirst: three key facts

• Cody Gakpo was substituted while on Netherlands duty after a challenge from Serbia’s Sasa Lukic left him in pain. He has returned to Liverpool for medical assessment.
• He has scored two goals and set up four more in six appearances this season, as Liverpool made an unbeaten start of two wins and three draws under Andoni Iraola.
• Virgil van Dijk publicly urged Liverpool to keep Gakpo in August, when Bradley Barcola arrived and Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were both linked with the forward.

Cody Gakpo injury: how it happened

Cody Gakpo has scored twice and set up four goals in six appearances for Liverpool this season. Figures that show exactly why his fitness matters so much right now. That form has run alongside an unbeaten start of two wins and three draws under Andoni Iraola. This is why the Cody Gakpo injury news from international duty has landed with such weight at Anfield.

Gakpo went down after a challenge from Serbia’s Sasa Lukic while playing for the Netherlands and was visibly in pain before he was taken off. He has since flown back to Liverpool for a medical assessment. The full picture is yet to be confirmed by the club.

Netherlands manager Xavi said afterwards that he hopes the injury is not too serious. No diagnosis has been made public. Gakpo is not the only forward under a cloud this week either.

Alexander Isak also returned early from Sweden duty, adding to the caution around Liverpool’s attacking options before the squad regroups. Neither case has been given a timeline by the club so far.

The expert angle: Van Dijk urged Liverpool to retain quality

Go back to August, and this Cody Gakpo injury story reads differently. Liverpool’s captain used his own voice to settle a summer debate, speaking out after Barcola’s arrival at Anfield raised questions over Gakpo’s game time and Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were credited with interest in taking him away.

“What do you think? He’s a quality player,” Van Dijk told the Liverpool Echo at the time. “I think we should keep quality players.”

He went further, making clear the request was personal as well as tactical. “Let’s see what the next few days bring,” he said, explaining that he wanted Gakpo to stay both for his ability on the pitch and their friendship off it. “He’s very important for us.”

Liverpool listened. Gakpo stayed, and his two goals and four assists since have justified Van Dijk’s stance. An injury now, however short, is the first real test of how much the club actually needs him.

What happens next for Iraola’s squad

Liverpool do not return to competitive action until October 11, which buys time for Gakpo’s assessment and for Isak to recover from his own knock with Sweden. Iraola will want clear answers on both players well before that date, given how heavily the pair have featured during the unbeaten run.

The head coach has already shown he is willing to rotate around fitness concerns. Isak’s late winner featured in our report on the Bournemouth win, and Iraola’s recent team selection for that game showed he will freshen his forward line when needed.

If Gakpo is sidelined for any length of time, Liverpool still have attacking options under Iraola, including academy talent pushing for minutes. Van Dijk’s summer message now reads as a warning as much as a compliment. Quality forwards are worth keeping, and this month they are worth protecting too.