Rafael van der Vaart believes Liverpool attacker is among handful of players who can make defenders 'sh** their pants'

Former Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has waxed lyrical about Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo. The remark came following Gakpo's exploits in the Netherlands' 3-0 win against Romania on Tuesday (July 2) in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 in Munich.

The Dutchman managed a goal and an assist as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship for the first time since 2008.

Gakpo has scored three goals in the tournamnet. He scored in the 29th minute against Poland on June 16 and in the 47th minute of the 3-2 loss to Austria on June 25.

Against Romania, the 25-year-old scored in the 20th minute and followed up with an assist in the 83rd tor Donyell Malen, who scored his first goal of the tournament. Hailing Gakpo's performance, Van der Vaart said (via Anfield Sector):

"There are not many players who could receive the ball and who could make a defender sh*t his pants. Gakpo is one of them."

The Netherlands await the winner of the game between Turkey and Austria on Sunday (July 6) for a place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

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How has Cody Gakpo fared for Liverpool?

Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool in January 2023 for a reported fee of around £44.3 million. He made his debut in the Reds' 2-2 Premier League draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers later that month.

Gakpo scored his first Reds goal against Merseyside rivals Everton on February 13. He has featured in 79 games for the Anfield side, scoring 23 goals and managing eight assists across competitions.

The 25-year-old made his senior debut for the Netherlands during Euro 2020 when he came on as a 79th-minute substitute against North Macedonia.

He was also a part of the Netherlands squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and scored in consecutive group games against Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar.