After being part of a Liverpool team that conceded six times and picked up just one point in his first three Premier League games, Gakpo has now scored in his last two league matches.
There were questions raised over the winger’s signing by Liverpool after his initial struggles, but his recent form for the Reds has seen him earn acclaim.
Van Nistelrooy is also complementary of Gakpo, praising him for his performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, even though Liverpool lost 5-2.
The PSV Eindhoven coach thinks Gakpo works well both when the ball is at his feet and when he is trying to recover it and thinks the Dutch star has raised his level to suit that of Liverpool.
“I thought Cody was strong”, Van Nistelrooy was quoted as saying, following the Champions League game, by Dutch daily De Telegraaf.
“Just like all of Liverpool in the first twenty minutes.
“They were blowing away Real Madrid and Cody was strong.
“He had some great moments with the ball at his feet, playing the ball to the side and moving well.
“Cody also had a number of recovery moments after losing the ball, where he won the ball back and looked very sharp.
“But that was also the case against Newcastle United, when he scored his first goal, and in the derby against Everton.
“You can see that he quickly adapts to that level.”
Gakpo will be hoping that he can continue his streak of scoring for Liverpool and match his form in the first half of the season for PSV Eindhoven, when he scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists.
