Liverpool January signing Cody Gakpo said farewell to his boyhood club PSV Eindhoven during their Europa League clash on Thursday.
Ruud van Nistelrooy's side were looking to overturn a three-goal deficit against Sevilla at the Phillips Stadion. But for Gakpo, the fixture allowed an opportunity to say one final goodbye to the club he captained before arriving on Merseyside last month.
The 23-year-old completed the move to the Reds on the eve of the transfer window opening as Jurgen Klopp's side gazumped rivals Manchester United to the signature of the highly-rated Holland international. His start to life at Anfield has been difficult as he endured a barren goalscoring run. But that came to an end earlier this month when he tapped home against Everton in his first Merseyside derby.
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The wait to double his account for Liverpool wasn't too far around the corner as he rifled home from inside the box as they made it two wins in two in the Premier League during their triumph at Newcastle United last weekend.
At half-time in PSV's Europa League clash, a banner was unveiled of Gakpo, who was paraded on the pitch and was gifted a framed shirt.
"At the moment I was calling [in] with the coach, he came into the office of the coach and then he saw me and we chatted a little bit," said Gakpo after his move.
"We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days. What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family – I think that's also very important for me because I'm a family guy. He said only good things.
"I'm also happy that he's here, so he can help me with some stuff. I'm really grateful to be here."
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