Cody Gakpo speaks out on Liverpool position ahead of talks with Arne Slot

Cody Gakpo has admitted that Jurgen Klopp did not play him in his preferred position at Liverpool.

The Dutchman joined the Reds in a £45m deal from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 after shining centrally for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals as they went on to suffer a quarter-final exit to eventual champions Argentina.

He has predominantly been used as a centre-forward during his Liverpool career to date, and is credited as having played up front in 49 of his 79 Reds appearances. However, the 25-year-old made his name as a prolific left-sided forward in the Netherlands

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Holland manager Ronald Koeman has utilised Gakpo as a wide-forward since returning for his second stint in charge of the Netherlands in January 2023. And that decision has been rewarded emphatically, with the Reds star returning six goals and three assists from his last 10 outings in such a role for his country.

That includes a record of three goals and an assist from five outings at Euro 2024, with Gakpo currently leading the race for the Golden Boot ahead of facing England in Wednesday’s semi-final in Dortmund.

Such form has prompted talk that he should be utilised on the left for Liverpool too rather than down the middle, though incoming head coach Arne Slot kept his cards close to his chest when quizzed about the role he envisioned for Gakpo under his watch at Anfield.

“I don’t have an opinion about what their best positions would be with their countries,” the Dutchman said of both his compatriot and Trent Alexander-Arnold. “Because that always depends on the players you have as well.

“You cannot judge a player on his own, it’s always a team effort. But I do have my opinion about where they’re going to play here.

“But if you don’t mind, I’m going to talk to them about that first and work with them first before telling it here.”

He continued: "I am hoping he (Gakpo) will step up even more. We are hoping and expecting him to do even better.

“He has been impressive and had a good tournament so far. We've inherited a good team. With the way I look at football, I can see how important it is to work on a daily basis."

While Slot might privately know where he intends to play Gakpo, the Liverpool forward has now admitted that he favours playing on the left rather than through the middle.

“I will play on the left wing at this tournament," he said ahead of facing England. "I also played a lot as a striker at Liverpool.

"I have always been a left winger so that's always been my preference. But in the last one and a half years, the coach (Jurgen Klopp) needed me to play somewhere else and that's what I tried to do at my best."

Having helped fire Netherlands to the Euro 2024 semi-finals, even if the Dutch lose to England on Wednesday, Gakpo won’t report back for pre-season until August.

Liverpool traditionally grant their players a three-week holiday after close-season international exploits, with the Reds stars still competing at the European Championships and Copa America now not expected back until next month as a result.

And while Slot could well discuss Gakpo’s role with the forward in the interim, Liverpool will have to wait a while longer before they can see their new head coach’s plan for the 25-year-old put into practice.