Liverpool told to sign Feyenoord star duo by Kuyt

Suraj Radia

• 17 Apr 2023 20:23 BST
• 2 min read

Dirk Kuyt has encouraged his former side Liverpool to take note of two Feyenoord stars who he believes will be heading for the top.

Kuyt spent six years at Liverpool after joining them from Feyenoord and he had a stint in charge of the Dutch side’s youth team, where he noted the potential of Orkun Kokcu and Lutsharel Geertruida, two players who he believes will end up playing for a major European side.

The 42-year-old was speaking about Liverpool’s signing of Cody Gakpo and believes the Feyenoord duo could follow in the footsteps of the forward and admitted he ‘hopes’ his former side will listen to his advice.

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“I am a Feyenoord man and they are doing very well at the moment,” Kuyt told the Liverpool Echo. "They have a very good manager in Arne Slot and some of the younger guys like Kokcu and Geertruida are knocking on the door and playing very well.

“It won’t take long for the interest of top European teams to be there for them. I hope Liverpool is interested in Feyenoord players, and I am an example it can work!

“When I was working as under-19s coach, Kokcu and Geertruida were in my team at the time. At Ajax you now have the likes of Jurrien Timber and Kenneth Taylor, who we were playing against.

“You know who the talented players are and you can see they are going to have big futures. Gakpo was a great talent and everyone knew from watching him at youth level that he would one day play for a club like Liverpool.”

Who are the two players namedropped by Kuyt?

Feyenoord are top of the Eredivisie with Kokcu and Geertruida as ever-present parts of their team and the duo have already been linked with moves away this summer.

Kokcu is a Turkish international defensive midfielder who is renowned for his passing and long-range shooting, having netted 11 times in all competitions this season.

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Geertruida, meanwhile, is a versatile defender who made his debut for the Netherlands last month after a breakout campaign for his club.

Both players are 22 years old and came through Feyenoord’s academy, playing a part in the club’s Europa Conference League run last season which saw them lose in the final to Roma.