Cody Gakpo shows Arne Slot a side Liverpool fans haven't seen for a long time at the right moment

Cody Gakpo is certainly doing his reputation back at Liverpool no harm ahead of his return to Merseyside later this summer.

Arne Slot will have to wait a little while longer before he gets a closer look at the 25-year-old during pre-season training, with the Netherlands booking their place in the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, with Gakpo right at the heart of their 3-0 win over Romania.

The forward opened the scoring with a trademark finish after cutting inside from the left . It was his third goal of the tournament, putting him joint-top in the race for the Golden Boot. And his influence didn’t stop there, with the Liverpool star helping to effectively seal his country’s place in the last-eight.

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Gakpo showed brilliant determination and strength as he managed to keep the ball in play, despite Radu Dragusin’s best efforts, before laying the ball on a plate for Donyell Malen to make it 2-0 with just seven minutes remaining. Malen would go on to add a third in stoppage time to put the cherry on top for the Dutch.

There can be little doubt who the standout performer was though, with Gakpo once again shining on the international stage. He has been a reliable performer for the Netherlands at his last two tournaments, and his latest contribution will no doubt get Liverpool fans – and Arne Slot for that matter – excited.

Gakpo often cut a frustrated figure last season, and didn’t look at his best when played through the middle by Jurgen Klopp . His man of the match performance against Romania, though, and in particular the determination he showed to set up Malen for the second goal, was far more reminiscent of the player who joined Liverpool back in January 2023.

Liverpool.com says: Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Gakpo, and he couldn’t be picking a better time to be rediscovering his best form. Slot will no doubt be watching on with interest ahead of his return to Liverpool.

It should be clear now that his best position is out on the left, and given his current form, he should be right at the front of the queue for a starting spot when the new season kicks off. More of the same please Cody!