Cody Gakpo Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Liverpool Star

Liverpool’s in-form forward Cody Gakpo was forced off in the 17th minute of the Netherlands’ 2–1 win over Serbia on Sunday but his international manager, Xavi Hernández, played down concerns that he had suffered a serious injury.

Gakpo has been one of the surprise success stories of Liverpool’s season thus far. Despite coming desperately close to signing for Manchester City last month, the upright winger continued to turn out for the Reds and managed to hit upon his best form in an age.

Even after another summer of extravagant spending, the star of the show at Anfield thus far has been the 27-year-old who cost €40 million ($45.5 million at current rates) three years ago. No wonder Andoni Iraola described himself as “very happy” to hang on to a player with six direct goal contributions in five starts this season.

And so, when Gakpo failed to shake off a heavy challenge from Serbia’s Saša Lukić early on in the weekend’s Nations League clash, a ripple of fear shivered through the medical department on Merseyside.

Fortunately for Iraola and the rest of the club, Xavi was optimistic about his forward’s swift recovery. “I don’t think so,” the Netherlands boss replied when asked if it was a serious problem. “Tomorrow we will know, but hopefully it’s not too important.”

What Injury Does Cody Gakpo Have?

Cody Gakpo colliding with Saša Lukić. — It was a painful collision for Gakpo. | Stefan Koops/EYE4IMAGES/NurPhoto/Getty Images

“It’s his ankle,” Xavi offered up, “that’s all I know.”

Lukić came careening across to win the ball, which he managed to achieve but only before scissoring Gakpo’s left leg. The top of the winger’s studs got briefly caught in the turf, forcing his ankle into a contortion not advised outside the circus.

Gakpo is set for a scan this week to determine the severity of the damage, The Athletic report, which will dictate the duration of his recovery.

When Will Cody Gakpo Return From Injury?

Cody Gakpo with his head bowed. — Cody Gakpo will do well to escape any type of layoff. | Roy Lazet/Soccrates/Getty Images

Until further medical checks have been made, every diagnosis is speculation. However, as the precise source of this impact injury was caught in 4K, there is at least some evidence to go off.

Gakpo would appear to have suffered some sort of ankle sprain, although only a scan will be able to determine if any damage has been done to the ligaments. A mild case could see the Liverpool forward return to action in a matter of days—which is why he wasn’t immediately discharged from a national camp that still has two more fixtures on its schedule.

A partial tear would require somewhere between three and six weeks of recovery while a more serious ailment could take multiple months.

During his time at PSV Eindhoven, Gakpo missed two months with an ankle problem at the start of 2021. Later that year, he was sidelined for five weeks with an issue in the same area. However, he’s had no issues with those joints since joining Liverpool in 2023.

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