Cody Gakpo might have made the move to Liverpool too early, new Holland boss Ronald Koeman has claimed.
The 23-year-old forward was signed by the Reds from PSV Eindhoven last month for £44million but is yet to score or make an assist in his first six appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side.
His new national team coach said it was good to have young Dutch players moving to bigger leagues.
However, Koeman added that it could also be difficult for them and said the Dutchman is currently struggling to find his feet.
Koeman said the fact that Liverpool, who snatched the Dutch forward from under the noses of Manchester United, were underperforming did not benefit Gakpo's game.
Cody Gakpo has struggled since making a £44million switch from PSV to Liverpool in January
Ronald Koeman said it was good to have young Dutch players moving to bigger leagues
'You can see that, that he has ended up in a team that is not doing well.
Then it becomes more difficult for him, as a new signing. You are tested right away,' he said.
'And if you don't score or you're not important and you don't win any matches, it's very difficult, especially for a young player.
'If that's was someone aged 28 with experience, it would be different.
'The level in England is higher than in the Netherlands, but they are also young boys, aren't they? Like (Ryan) Gravenberch going to Bayern (Munich) and eVdEN evE nakliyat not playing.
If you cherished this posting and you would like to acquire a lot more info about Evden Eve nAKliyAT kindly take a look at our web site. Then that is difficult,' he said on a YouTube show hosted by former footballer Andy van der Meyde.
Before joining Liverpool, Gakpo had scored nine goals and made 12 assists in 14 matches for PSV in the Eredivisie this season.
He also scored three goals for his national side during their World Cup campaign in Qatar.
Koeman, who began his second stint in charge on January 1, said he was keeping a keen eye on all Dutch exports as he considers his first selection for the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The Netherlands take on France and EvDEN eVe nAKliyat Gibraltar in March.
Before joining Liverpool, Gakpo had scored nine goals and made 12 assists in 14 matches for PSV in the Eredivisie this season
He also scored three goals for his national side during their World Cup campaign in Qatar
After signing, Gakpo told the 'I feel really good, I'm really excited to be here.
I'm looking forward to start training and start playing for this amazing club.
'I think this is a great club for me to come in and try to show what I can [do] and try to help the team to achieve more beautiful moments that they already did in the past years.
'I think for me personally it's also good to develop here and there's a lot of great players here [who] I can learn a lot of things from.'
He added: 'I'm really looking forward to [playing at Anfield].
I heard a lot of great stories about the stadium, about the atmosphere. I cannot wait.
'Obviously [my aim is] to win as many prizes as we can as a team, to perform well, to show the world what we can do as a team and what I can do as a player.
And personally, just to keep developing and become a better player every season.
'I'm really thankful that everybody is giving me such a warm welcome and I'm really looking forward to seeing everybody in the stadium and around the city.