Gakpo made the switch to Liverpool during the January window to help fill the gap left by the injured Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.
However, Gakpo is yet to show his best form for the Reds, failing to score or assist in his first four outings.
Gakpo last featured for Liverpool vs Chelsea on Saturday. The game ended 0-0, with Liverpool creating very little apart from a few poor shots from Gakpo.
Now though, Michael Owen has come to the defence of Gakpo, suggesting even Lionel Messi would not perform in this current Liverpool team:
“I feel sorry for him actually because he’s coming into a team that are really inconsistent and drained of all the confidence that we’ve seen in the past,” Owen told Premier League Productions.
“He had a couple of half-chances [against Chelsea] and it’s clear he’s trying.
Former England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips also offered up his support for the Dutchman, explaining: “I think he’s trying to make an impact on games and have an influence, but he’s in a struggling Liverpool team right now.
“When that confidence is up, that’s when we’ll see the real Gakpo. They need to be patient with him,” Wright-Phillips concluded.
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