'For me': Arne Slot now explains if £44m Liverpool player is a starter after 'quality' Brighton performance

10/31/2024 04:00 AM

Liverpool secured another road win with a 3-2 result against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup, with Cody Gakpo the star for the Reds.

The Dutch international scored two excellent goals in the second-half for Arne Slot’s side as Gakpo impressed greatly for Liverpool in the attack, with third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros also winning praise from the Anfield boss.

With Luis Diaz making the left-wing position his own this season, Gakpo has had to fight for every minute played this year at Liverpool, with the two forwards starting to show the level of form that inspired the Reds to sign them in the first place.

Slot has now shared whether Gakpo is a regular starter for Liverpool after his performance against Brighton.

Slot declares that Gakpo is now ‘a regular starter’ for Liverpool

Speaking to the press after last night’s League Cup win, Slot noted that he now views Gakpo as a ‘regular starter’ for Liverpool, with the winger clearly catching the eye of his Dutch manager at the Amex Stadium.

Slot said: “For me, he is a regular starter. He is not starting every game but he has started on a regular basis and he is in a tough competition with Luis Diaz, who, in the moment he went on the left, also scored a goal, so, that's normal.

“If you play at a club like Liverpool you have got two quality players for many positions and if you look at the way Joe Gomez played and also Jarell Quansah – who was maybe a bit unlucky with the goal we conceded because the overall performance I liked from them both as well.

“So that's what you have when you play at Liverpool, but for me, Cody has been a regular starter this season.”

Is Gakpo good enough to replace Diaz for Liverpool?

Diaz had an electric start to the new season under Slot, with the Colombia international making a real claim for the left-wing spot and leaving Gakpo in the dust when it came to goal output.

However, as we head into November, only two goals separate the two wingers when it comes to raw goalscoring output, with Gakpo also playing over 100 minutes less than Diaz in all competitions.

Indeed, Gakpo might need another performance or two to really show how good he can be in this Liverpool system, and the competition for the left-wing spot is only going to grow closer the longer the season draws out.