Arne Slot has called upon one Liverpool player to ‘step up’ even more amid an eye-catching run of performances for his national team.
The Reds’ new head coach has been keeping an eye on the members of his squad who are representing their countries at Euro 2024 or the Copa America, and Cody Gakpo has shone at the former.
The Netherlands forward is currently the tournament’s joint-top scorer going into the quarter-finals, and his new boss at club level has challenged the 25-year-old to carry that form into the 2024/25 season.
Slot told the media on Friday morning at his introductory press conference (via Liverpool Echo): “I’m hoping Gakpo will step up even more! Hopefully we’ll see Netherlands play England in the [Euro 2024] semi-finals. Cody is having a very good tournament.”
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Gakpo struck 16 goals in 53 games in all competitions during his first full season at Liverpool in 2023/24, a more than respectable return for a player who started less than half of the Reds’ Premier League games.
His scoring streak for Netherlands at Euro 2024 has naturally left LFC fans craving a similarly prolific return at Anfield once he returns to Merseyside after the tournament, and it’s notable that his rich vein of form has come with him playing on the left flank.
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Jurgen Klopp frequently used the 25-year-old at centre-forward over the past 18 months, where admittedly he’s had a better strike rate for the club than when lining out on the wing (Transfermarkt).
Slot reportedly intends to use Gakpo through the middle for Liverpool (Football Insider), although the ex-PSV Eindhoven man’s displays at the European Championship must surely be giving the coach food for thought.
A lot will obviously depend on where the Dutchman fits into the attack in relation to his teammates at Anfield, but regardless of what exact role he occupies within the team, hopefully he can extrapolate his Euro 2024 form over the course of a full season for the Reds.
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