This was supposed to be another routine international duty for Cody Gakpo. Instead, Netherlands vs Serbia turned into one more ugly chapter in what is becoming a deeply uncomfortable break for Liverpool.
Gakpo was injured and subbed off early in the UEFA Nations League game in Serbia on Sunday, and that is the last thing Liverpool wanted to see with their attacking options already looking stretched. The Netherlands’ own message was simple enough: “Take care, Cody. 🧡” That says plenty. When a player comes off that early, the concern is immediate, not theoretical.
A problem that keeps getting bigger
The timing matters. Liverpool are already dealing with Hugo Ekitike being injured, and Sunday’s setback for Gakpo only sharpens the sense that their forward line is being taken apart piece by piece during the international break. Alexander Isak also went down injured for Sweden in the same period, which makes the situation feel even more awkward.
For a club that returns to action with Manchester City at home on October 11, this is not a minor inconvenience. It is the sort of international break that can wreck preparation before it has even properly begun. Liverpool can cope with one forward problem. Two or three starts to look like a genuine squad issue.
What makes Gakpo’s injury especially frustrating is that it arrives in a match that should have been about rhythm, not risk. Netherlands vs Serbia was never going to matter much to Liverpool in the table, but it matters hugely to Liverpool the club whenever one of their key attackers is forced off early. There is no upside in that.
Andoni Iraola, Ruben van Bommel, Lewis Koumas and Bradley Barcola are all names that may matter in other conversations, but for Liverpool the reality is much simpler: they need their own forwards fit, available and ready for the biggest domestic tests. Right now, that is looking less secure than anyone would like.
The hard truth is this: international breaks always carry a bit of danger, but some weeks are worse than others. For Liverpool, this one is becoming very hard to ignore.
