Cody Gakpo has opened up on his conversations with Arne Slot ahead of the new campaign as the Dutchman prepares to hit the ground running against Ipswich Town on Saturday.
The 25-year-old has had to fight for a regular spot in the side since joining from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, competing with the likes of Darwin Nunez , Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz for a place in the front three alongside the ever-present Mohamed Salah .
Despite frequently alternating with that aforementioned trio, however, Gakpo has still managed a respectable 23 goals and nine assists in 79 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, although the majority of those came during his first full campaign on Merseyside last season.
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With no further recruits to the forward line this summer, Gakpo will once again be competing with the same names for a regular place in the starting XI and, following an impressive Euro 2024 with the Netherlands in which he grabbed three goals and one assist in six games, he'll certainly fancy his chances.
However, the versatile forward, who was primarily used as a center-forward under Klopp last season, has revealed that new boss Slot is set on using him in just one position in the forthcoming campaign - although it should come naturally to him.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com about his conversations with Slot ahead of Saturday's trip to Ipswich, Gakpo opened up on the role he is expected to play throughout the 2024-25 campaign, saying: "Yeah, I spoke to him and obviously he sees me as a left winger. That's how I think he sees me.
"We have a lot of players in the front line and you know the season is long and there can be some injuries in every position. So he said, 'You're playing there but maybe I need you in another position, you can play there as well. Just be ready.' For me, I'm here and I try to play the best football I can and help the club as much as I can with my qualities."
Of Gakpo's 53 appearances in all competitions last season, whether he was used as a substitute or started from the off, Klopp deployed him as a center-forward on 27 occasions, as per Transfermarkt . While leading the line, the Dutchman grabbed 12 goals and three assists.
However, he was also deployed as a left winger, right winger, attacking midfielder and, on five occasions, even a central midfielder. Yet it was on the left wing where Gakpo would appear most frequently out of the lot, featuring 12 times.
Now, Slot is prepared to prioritize his countryman on the left wing, rather than up front. It was here that the Dutch international really shone during the 2022/23 campaign, in particular with PSV prior to his Merseyside move half way through the season.
That year, Gakpo recorded 13 goals and 17 assists in just 26 games from the left, with Slot now looking to utilize him in a similar way in order to get him to produce those same numbers, starting with Saturday's trip to Ipswich.
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