"You have to understand that Gakpo is still a young player," Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman said about the Liverpool forward ahead of the Ireland game in which Gakpo converted a penalty.
"When he first went to Liverpool, the team was struggling and that made it difficult for him to make a quick impact.
"If you join a team that is doing well, then you have a chance to come in when the moment is right, but Liverpool needed something quickly and that was tough.
"You have to give him that time to develop and to adapt to the Premier League because it's a different level.
"I know from my time in England that the intensity is much higher than he used to play in Holland but he's young and he will learn and he will be better, but he has a great future. You can see his quality."
Gakpo was actually one of the players who contributed to Liverpool's late surge at the end of the last season, making the No.9 role his own.
This season, however, he had to switch between positions which could've made it difficult for him personally - not that it seriously affected Liverpool who are yet to suffer a single defeat.
