Cody Gakpo reveals new preferred position after change of role at Liverpool

Cody Gakpo has revealed that his preferred role is now a striker after being used there by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

The Dutch international was signed by the Reds in January for £35.4m and struggled in his first few Premier League games as he played on the left wing. However, after switching to centre-forward, Gakpo really started to find his performance at Anfield and was able to finish the season with a respectable seven goals in the Premier League.

Ahead of his appearance in the Nations League final with the Netherlands this week, Gakpo has revealed his fondness for his new position, admitting that he would also like to play as a centre-forward for the Netherlands national team.

“Now that I’m playing for Liverpool, I think it’s a good position,” he told the media. “I convinced myself that being a striker suits me.

Guus Hiddink was the first [to use Gakpo as a striker]. He was at PSV for a while as a sounding board, he saw me play and said to me: ‘You have to become a striker or a false nine’. I didn’t want to believe it then. And when Roger Schmidt later said the same thing to PSV when he was manager, I was even more stubborn. He felt good on the left side.

“But at the last World Cup I was more central on the pitch for the last six months and with Liverpool permanently in the national team.”

With Memphis Depay out injured, Gakpo could get his chance to play as the national team’s No.9 in Wednesday’s clash against Croatia. The Atletico Madrid striker is currently out with a hamstring injury.