Cody Gakpo withdraws from Netherlands squad with viral infection

Gakpo is returning to Merseyside early
Gakpo is returning to Merseyside early / Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages
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Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo is among five Netherlands players who have left their international training camp due to a viral infection.

The Reds star is joined by Sven Botman, Matthijs de Ligt, Joey Veerman and Bart Verbruggen on planes home, with all five contracting a virus during international duty.

The KNVB have confirmed that Ronald Koeman has called up Ryan Gravenberch, Kjell Scherpen and Stefan de Vrij as replacements.

The Netherlands are set to face off against World Cup runners-up France in their first Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday evening at Stade de France - a game in which Kylian Mbappe will captain Les Bleus for the first time.

They will face what promises, on paper, to be their toughest Euro 2024 qualifying game without their top scorer from the 2022 World Cup. Gakpo scored three of his six international goals to date during the tournament in Qatar, scoring in all three of his nation's group matches.


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How Cody Gakpo has performed at Liverpool

The forward joined Liverpool in January for a reported £35.4m and has instantly become a starting player for Jurgen Klopp.

After failing to score in any of his first five matches for the Reds, Gakpo has began to settle into life at Anfield in more recent weeks, scoring four goals in March and February - including two against Manchester United in a record 7-0 thrashing.