24-year-old Liverpool player suggests he’s not been playing in his favoured position all season

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With Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final date with Chelsea now secured, talk has turned to who could be set to play in the Wembley showpiece.

It seems a little insignificant given the news from Jurgen Klopp yesterday. But the manager has already confirmed that back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will retain his place. Meanwhile, you can perhaps name another five or six who are nailed-one to line up for the Reds.

However, one of the most debatable positions to predict remains the forward line. Pundits have already had a go at choosing who they think Klopp will line up on February 25th.

One man who hasn’t featured in too many of those XI’s so far is Cody Gakpo. Although Gakpo has been excellent in the Carabao Cup this season, he’s probably the fifth out of five choices for the bigger games. When he is picked, the Dutchman is usually in the middle of the front three, or even in midfield.

But according to Gakpo himself, this is not where he’d prefer to be playing. Speaking to the Premier League on YouTube, the former PSV Eindhoven man was asked to name his favourite position.

“Left wing,” Gakpo said, without hesitation. Asked whether that’s where he’d always played, the forward answered “Yeah.”

Gakpo hoping for left-sided role

It isn’t as though we’ve never seen Gakpo in his left-sided role for Liverpool at all. The No.18 has featured there on ocassion.

But by and large, Cody has been deployed centrally by Klopp.

With Jurgen set to leave at the end of the season though, there are plenty of interesting factors to consider within the current squad.

What the new manager does with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s position will perhaps be the most intriguing of all. But given this admission, Gakpo’s role moving forward will also be interesting.

Right from his early days at Liverpool, it was clear that Klopp had earmarked Gakpo to be something of a false nine. Tactically astute and an excellent dribbler, the Netherlands international looked a good fit for picking up those deeper pockets of space.

But with a new manager will come new ideas. Nobody’s place feels secure beyond this summer.

Obviously, Klopp departing is not good news for anyone at Liverpool. The players themselves were said to be upset upon hearing the news and you can understand why.

For someone like Gakpo though, it will give him the chance to show the new boss why he deserves to play in his favoured position. In the meantime, he’ll continue to do the job wherever he’s asked.