Liverpool handed major Cody Gakpo concern as official statement released
International breaks are usually a tense time for many Premier League club and more now certainly for Liverpool fans, but this current pause in the season has turned into a proper nightmare.
Just as Andoni Iraola was preparing his squad for a relentless run of seven games in just 20 days, news began trickling in from around Europe. First, it was Alexander Isak leaving the Sweden camp with a thigh issue. Then came the real blow on Sunday evening, when Cody Gakpo went down holding his ankle in Belgrade.
If you watched the Netherlands win 2-1 against Serbia, just ten minutes into the match, Gakpo took a heavy tackle from an Ipswich Town midfielder Saša Lukić right in the centre of the pitch.
At first, the 25-year-old tried to shake it off and push through the pain. But a few minutes later, with the ball drifting out of play, he went down onto the turf, grimacing and holding his lower right leg.
The medical team rushed on, but Gakpo’s night and likely his next few weeks was over after just 17 minutes.
After the match, newly appointed Netherlands manager Xavi Hernández tried to stay positive, though his immediate update gave little away:
"It's his ankle, that's all I know. Tomorrow we will know, but hopefully it's not too important."
Unfortunately, the follow-up news from Monday morning wasn't great. Gakpo underwent scans in the Netherlands, and reports coming out of the Dutch media quickly suggested he could be ruled out for several weeks.
Not long after, Liverpool released an official statement confirming the forward was heading back to Kirkby:
"Cody Gakpo has withdrawn from international duty for the Netherlands after sustaining an ankle injury.
The forward had to be substituted during the first half of his country’s 2-1 win against Serbia on Sunday evening.
He will not participate in the Dutch’s remaining two fixtures of the current international period.
Gakpo will now return to Liverpool for further assessment by the club’s medical staff at the AXA Training Centre."
The Dutch FA followed up by officially ruling him out of their remaining matches against Greece and Serbia.
For Iraola and Liverpool, this couldn't come at a worse moment. Following a summer filled with transfer speculation, Gakpo has been one of Liverpool's most reliable and energetic players so far this season.
He already has two goals and four assists to his name across all competitions, including that vital equaliser during the 2-2 opening-day thriller against Newcastle United. Losing his creativity and work rate right now is a massive hit.
To make matters worse, the front line was already starting to look thin.
Alexander Isak is now back on Merseyside after Sweden boss Graham Potter confirmed he left their setup with a "small problem with his thigh."
Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike remains out for the long haul as he recovers from an Achilles injury, and Federico Chiesa hasn't played a competitive minute since pre-season.
Iraola did mention before the break that he hoped Chiesa might return to full team training over these two weeks, but asking him to step straight into a high-intensity match after two months out is a huge ask.
When club football returns on Sunday, October 11, Manchester City visit Anfield. It's the kind of game where you want every single one of your match-winners available, yet Iraola now faces the distinct possibility of heading into it without his primary attacking options.
Whether Gakpo can pull off a miracle recovery or Isak's thigh problem turns out to be minor remains to be seen over the coming days at the AXA Training Centre. But right now, the Reds have a genuine selection crisis brewing in attack.
