Ronald de Boer thinks Liverpool “needs a player like” Cody Gakpo after they completed the signing of the PSV Eindhoven forward.
There was a lot of interest in the Netherlands international in the summer transfer window with Leeds United, Southampton and Manchester United all vying for his signature.
The Red Devils interest reportedly carried on until recently but a BBC Sport journalist yesterday revealed that United’s scouting department were ‘never convinced’ over Gakpo.
And a transfer to Liverpool came out of the blue on Boxing Day when PSV revealed they had agreed a fee with the Reds for Gakpo before the Premier League side confirmed yesterday that a deal had been completed, subject to a work permit.
Former Rangers and Barcelona midfielder De Boer reckons Liverpool will be getting “one of the biggest talents in Holland”.
De Boer told talkSPORT: “I’ve seen him now for a couple of years already, he has great potential.
“He has the ability to score easily with his right foot coming in from the left to the right, he has the speed, the dribbling and I think his mind is also very good.
“When I see him and when he talks on television, he looks to be a very clever boy, he knows what he wants, he still has a lot of potential to grow to be an even better player.
“His potential for me, he’s one of the biggest talents in Holland.”
De Boer added on Gakpo’s move to Liverpool: “I think it’s important for him, he’s better when he starts on the left and comes inside. I think Liverpool plays a little bit like that, I remember [Luis] Diaz playing there, who is also by the way an exceptional talent.
“So when he is fit he will have to fight for that spot. In the meanwhile, he [Gakpo] can grow in that role, I think Liverpool needs a player like that on that side at the moment. I think for me, this is the best choice he could have made at this moment.”
Gakpo, who starred at the World Cup for the Netherlands, said that he wants to “achieve more beautiful moments” for Liverpool after seeing them win the Premier League and Champions League in recent seasons.
“I feel really good, I’m really excited to be here. I’m looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club,” Gakpo told Liverpool’s official website.
“I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
“I think for me personally it’s also good to develop here and there’s a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.”
Gakpo added: “I’m really looking forward to [playing at Anfield]. I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.
“Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player. And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.
“I’m really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.”
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