Explained: Why Cody Gakpo isn't making his Liverpool debut against Brentford

• Winger signed for Liverpool from PSV
• Is eligible to feature for Reds
• Club giving him time to settle before debut

WHAT HAPPENED? Liverpool meet Brentford on Monday in their first game of 2023. Gakpo, whose £44 million transfer from PSV was confirmed at the end of December, is now eligible to feature for his new side but was not named in the starting XI or among the substitutes for the Premier League encounter.

WHY WAS HE LEFT OUT? Liverpool have opted to give Gakpo, 23, a chance to settle into his new surroundings before being thrust into action. The winger has not had much time to train since his involvement at the World Cup with the Netherlands and a subsequent holiday, with the Dutch knocked out on penalties by eventual winners Argentina in the quarter-finals on December 9.

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