Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has admitted that he is 'looking forward' to working with Feyenoord boss Arne Slot. While the move has not been officially announced yet, a deal has been agreed with the 45-year-old's current employer.

"To be honest, I have never worked with him," Gakpo told ViaPlay. "I know, of course, that he is a very good coach who has shown it at AZ Alkmaar and at Feyenoord too.

"Of course, we played against [his Feyenoord] a few times, they were often difficult games. I am very curious and I think we are all very much looking forward to it."

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Gakpo put in an excellent performance against Spurs, setting up Mohamed Salah's opener with a perfectly placed cross and later adding his own name to the scoresheet with a header. He added: "The focus at the moment is not there yet and is now on finishing the last two games well, for ourselves, for the club, for the coach, and then we will look further at the new coach."

Gakpo actually got a hat-trick of assists (plus a goal of his own) against Slot the last time he faced him. In the season that saw the Dutch forward move to Liverpool, Feyenoord only conceded a total of 30 goals on the way to winning the Eredivisie, and Gakpo was responsible for 13 per cent of them.

While the move has not been formally announced yet, Slot will be coming to Anfield. "I’m not worried at all about whether it will go ahead — the question is when it will be communicated," he said after beating PEC Zwolle last weekend.

"I think I agree on that, that it looked like that [a farewell]. Because of all the rumors in the media, I think they are expecting me to leave. Yeah, that is something we could say."

Liverpool.com says: It is only natural to think that with Gakpo and Slot both being Dutch, there might be a positive relationship there. While that might be a lazy suggestion, Slot does love wingers and Gakpo arrived in England as someone who played almost exclusively from the left at club level.

There is certainly more to be extracted from Gakpo whether he plays wide or through the middle and it will be interesting to see how Slot balances all of his attacking talent. There is definitely a world in which Gakpo kicks on again. In the half-season before he moved to Liverpool, the now-25-year-old notched 21 goal contributions (nine goals, 12 assists) in 14 Eredivisie appearances.

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Jurgen Klopp will be reunited with referee Simon Hooper for the final time when he oversees Liverpool’s clash with Aston Villa on Monday, and he will not be overjoyed with the news!

There are few referees that Klopp does not have history with considering he has spent nearly nine years in the Premier League, but he will not be forgetting Hooper once he leaves in the summer.

Hooper, of course, was the referee for that fixture at Tottenham earlier in the season, when Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were sent off and the catastrophic VAR error took place.

He was fourth official in the defeat at Everton, and Klopp made sure to name-check the official when he previewed the clash against Tottenham last week.

He said: “Only the other night was the first time since Tottenham that Simon Hooper was standing next to me for 90 minutes in a game I didn’t enjoy in the first place against Everton.

“I tried to get it out of my head and couldn’t.”

And now Klopp will have to watch another Liverpool match with Hooper as referee, as he has been appointed for the German’s final away game.

Hooper’s assistants will be Adrian Holmes and Tim Wood, the fourth official is Tim Robinson, and VAR will be operated by Chris Kavanagh, assisted by Mark Scholes.

Monday will be his fifth game overseeing the Reds this season, the Reds have only won two of those matches, and that includes the 3-0 victory over Aston Villa at Anfield.

In total, this will be Hooper’s 10th time refereeing a Liverpool game and in all of his previous encounters he has never awarded a penalty for Klopp’s side, but he has awarded one against.

Hooper has not had the smoothest of seasons, that is putting it lightly, having been deemed to have made an “officiating mistake” in Man City‘s 3-3 draw with Tottenham earlier in the campaign.

Let’s hope there is no controversy for Klopp’s second-to-last Liverpool game as the manager will need to hold his tongue if he is to avoid a yellow card that will see him banned for his farewell at Anfield!

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Liverpool’s season came undone thanks to lousy and unforgivable results against Man United, a team described as “one of the most poorly coached teams” in the league after Monday’s 4-0 defeat.

In three games against Man United this season, Liverpool failed to win once, despite managing an astonishing 87 shots across the fixtures.

Jurgen Klopp blamed his side’s recent lack of composure in front of goal on the FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford, having had “that many chances and you play really good but you don’t get anything for it.”

It is a wound that is continually opened and has salt rubbed into it when witnessing United’s performances and results against others, including Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Jamie Carragher slammed Erik ten Hag’s side as “one of the most poorly coached teams in the Premier League” during Sky Sports’ coverage of their 4-0 defeat, their 13th in the league this campaign.

On any other occasion, it would delight those of the Liverpool persuasion, but all it does is point to the Reds’ failings in not managing a single win this season against this very ordinary United side.

United are absolutely pitiful. And we failed to beat them twice in the league & got knocked out of the cup by them also. pic.twitter.com/e9egXbakfP

— Iver Hanrahan (@IverHanrahanGP) May 6, 2024

Liverpool 0-0 Man Utd
Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool
Man Utd 2-2 Liverpool

Christ almighty. It's disgusting.

— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) May 6, 2024

We failed to beat this United team 3 times. pic.twitter.com/lp69EcAF8p

— Samuel (@SamueILFC) May 6, 2024

This may be the worst Manchester United side in quite some time

Yeah, we still couldn’t beat them this season

— KB2x (@KB2X) May 7, 2024

This season has been full of highs and positivity and, of course, marred with disappointment especially in recent weeks.

More than anything though what I cannot fucking understand is how we didn’t manage to beat United once out of 3 attempts.

They are absolute trash ???

— Ashleigh Monk (@missyash8) May 6, 2024

This season has been full of highs and positivity and, of course, marred with disappointment especially in recent weeks.

More than anything though what I cannot fucking understand is how we didn’t manage to beat United once out of 3 attempts.

They are absolute trash ???

— Ashleigh Monk (@missyash8) May 6, 2024

We couldn't beat this garbage United team all season. There were people telling me a point away at Old Trafford was good. ? Against these shite.

— Red (@TaintlessRed) May 6, 2024

Negative thinking : how liverpool cant beat that man united team

Positive thinking: surprised liverpool only conceded one goal against super team crystal palace pic.twitter.com/950zPUjgN7

— Ronny (@onieronny) May 7, 2024

How didn’t we beat this United side? pic.twitter.com/67IHwRSekd

— LFC Stats (@LFCData) May 6, 2024

I will never understand how we drew twice and lost once to this Manchester United team this season.
They are terrible.

— alistaircubbon (@alistaircubbon) May 6, 2024

How Liverpool did not beat United once this season remains a mind-boggling mystery, and we can only hope our luck changes under new management – Arne Slot has a big mental block to overcome.

Considering United faced 87 shots against Liverpool and conceded only five goals says a lot about the Reds’ finishing and the knock-on effect it had on the recent run of results, as Klopp noted.

The FA Cup tie and the league clash at Old Trafford ruined the Reds’ season and it is baffling they allowed it to happen considering Ten Hag’s side lack quality in almost all areas of the pitch.

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With his countryman Arne Slot prepared to take over as Liverpool head coach in the summer, Cody Gakpo has given his verdict on Jurgen Klopp‘s successor.

Ahead of Slot’s arrival as head coach at Anfield, Gakpo has been heralded as one of the players most likely to benefit under his tutelage.

The pair have already crossed paths four times in the Netherlands, including three meetings between Gakpo’s PSV Eindhoven and Slot’s Feyenoord that brought three goals and three assists from the left wing.

Speaking to ViaPlay after the 4-2 win over Tottenham on Sunday, the Liverpool forward was asked how pleased he was with the appointment.

“To be honest, I have never worked with him,” Gakpo replied.

“I know, of course, that he is a very good coach who has shown it at AZ and at Feyenoord too.

“Of course, we played against [his Feyenoord] a few times, often difficult games.

“I am very curious and I think we are all very much looking forward to it.

“The focus at the moment is not there yet and is now on finishing the last two games well, for ourselves, for the club, for the coach, and then we will look further at the new coach.”

Gakpo took a similar approach to that of Virgil van Dijk, who spoke to journalists including This Is Anfield‘s David Lynch following the victory at Anfield.

“Is he the new manager? Nothing has been announced but there’s rumours, things out there that he could be [Klopp’s] successor,” Van Dijk said.

“So let’s see, we have two more games in this season and when it is over and there is news, we will focus on what is coming next but it is a fact that there will be a lot of changes happening and it will be interesting.

“I am here to be a part of that and looking forward to it.

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“I am at the club and the captain so I want to help, I will help and I should help [the transition]. If he is the one who comes then let’s see.”

It has been a mild concern in recent weeks that Slot has spoken so openly about the prospect of taking over at Anfield – even though he has played coy – while neither club has announced the deal and Klopp is still in place.

Gakpo and Van Dijk are right to avoid falling into the same trap, with the focus for now on ensuring the best possible send-off for one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever managers.

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James Milner has revealed what Jurgen Klopp told the players on the morning of Liverpool’s legendary comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Cast your minds back to the morning of May 7, 2019. Fans were waking up after a night when Man City came agonisingly close to dropping points in the title race.

Instead, Vincent Kompany’s remarkable winner against Leicester all but sealed their triumph.

With the Reds needing to beat Barcelona by more than three clear goals to reach the Champions League final later that day, you would have been forgiven for feeling demoralised.

The same could be said for the team, but manager Klopp acted quickly to get the team’s heads straight. On Football’s Greatest Pod, Milner explained what the mood was like that morning.

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“We needed City to drop points the night before and Vini – seen him do it a hundred times in training [and] slice it into the bushes – he decides to slice it into the top corner this time,” the Englishman said.

“We came in the day of the game and the manager said: ‘Does anyone want to say anything about what happened last night? No, right, here we go’.”

Despite the previous night’s disappointment, May 7 would go on to be one of the most amazing dates in Liverpool’s history, and Milner spoke of how the crowd and players worked in tandem.

“I think the tone was set actually [when] Suarez – obviously an incredible player for Liverpool, the fans loved him – [was] standing over the kickoff and getting booed and whistled,” the former Red continued.

“I think it was just a reminder ‘not today mate, you’re not one of us today’.”

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When asked by Jeff Stelling about the atmosphere at Anfield that night, Milner replied that it was “incredible.”

“You know from the start, you look at the Kop and the banners and the flags up, You’ll Never Walk Alone – it was important,” he recalled.

“They’re always up for the nights anyway, but also it’s important they see that you’re at it.

“Can you get the first tackle in? Can you get the first press and get the fans with you?

“That was always important for us that we had to start well to get them really with you and let the other team feel the atmosphere, feel our pressure and think ‘this isn’t an ordinary game, this isn’t gonna be something we’ve experienced before’.”

Liverpool, of course, went on to win the match 4-0 and lift the trophy in Madrid after beating Tottenham. It was a story about Jordan Henderson‘s celebration at Anfield that Milner recounted, though.

The 38-year-old recalled: “I remember Hendo actually had a bad knee I think, he was on a bike at half-time.

“So [we had] players hanging on with injuries and things like that, and the final whistle went.

“We were keeping it in the corner; I’ve turned round and Hendo’s gone and knee-slided to the fans and it got caught in the ground, and he was like ‘why have I just done that?’.

“And he’s like crying in pain from his knee, not ‘cos we’d got to the final.”

• LIVERPOOL 4-0 BARCELONA: 10 things you might not remember

Thankfully, the captain was able to recover quickly enough to play in the final, starting in midfield alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho.

Milner came on in the 62nd minute and helped see the game out as the Reds won 2-0.

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Darwin Nunez couldn’t wait to get off the pitch.

As soon as Paul Tierney blew the final whistle to confirm Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham on Sunday, Nunez headed straight for the dressing room. It marked the end of a miserable few minutes for the striker, and summed up both his own frustrations and those of Anfield’s supporters.

On 94 minutes, Liverpool broke with Mohamed Salah releasing Nunez, who had timed his run well. To his left, Cody Gakpo was free, but the Uruguay international delayed his pass and failed to find his team-mate.

In the following minute, he was released in behind again. This time he executed the pass for Salah to convert, only to be flagged offside himself — a trait that has crept into his game and has increased criticism. Nunez removed the white tape on his right wrist and threw it to the ground.

His next action was to attempt to dribble past Pedro Porro near his own penalty area. He got the ball stuck under his feet, but recovered to win a foul and relieve the pressure eventually.

Liverpool had one more counter-attack and Nunez was released in behind again. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario committed himself so the striker had the simple option of taking it around the goalkeeper on the edge of his box. Instead, Nunez saw his first-time shot saved, and off came the white tape on his left wrist. The whole episode felt like a literal unravelling of Nunez’s confidence.

Those four minutes were a showcase of Nunez’s extremes, both good and bad. However, in the context of the last month, and with Nunez having only scored once in his last 11 games — against Sheffield United, when he charged down goalkeeper Ivo Grbic’s kick — patience has waned.

The ‘Nunez, Nunez, Nunez’ chant that has reverberated around Anfield on countless occasions, even when he has missed a chance or made a poor decision, was conspicuous by its absence on Sunday.

Nunez himself seems to have lost some of his fizz. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders twice spoke to him individually as he was getting changed ahead of coming on, but when he did enter the field, he did so with markedly little enthusiasm.

This may have been down to the scoreline — Liverpool were 4-1 up and comfortable — but it hardly helped his cause. Shortly after coming on, Alisson sent a long kick downfield but Nunez was unable to contest it as he was standing offside.

He did liven up, especially after Spurs made it 4-2 and the game became more of a contest. From a starting position on the left flank, he charged down a lofted pass…

… which led to Salah’s comical miss.

On one occasion, he charged down three Tottenham players in an attempt to win the ball back for his team but that felt the exception rather than the rule.

To compound his problems, Nunez then whipped up a post-match storm by deleting all Liverpool-associated posts from his Instagram account. It can be a ploy used by professional athletes, usually as a way of signalling frustration without having to say anything, but it felt unnecessary and raised more questions over his future as Liverpool prepare for the arrival of new manager Arne Slot.

Nunez, having looked so promising earlier this year, is ending the season back where he was a year ago. Then, he frequently found himself on the bench as Liverpool’s fifth strike option, with Gakpo and Diogo Jota ahead of him in the queue to start as the No 9.

Jota is currently injured but, while Nunez has laboured, Gakpo has seized his chance.

Rewind a few weeks, and the Netherlands international was in a similar position to Nunez now. Gakpo was struggling for rhythm and form after a handful of disappointing substitute performances, most notably the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United.

But he has answered any doubts emphatically and is ending his first full campaign on Merseyside with a flourish. A goal and an assist on Sunday capped an excellent performance that showcased his attributes as both the central striker and left winger as he frequently switched positions with Luis Diaz.

Gakpo and Nunez are very different players, operating at different speeds. Nunez is often an emotional, unpredictable whirlwind while Gakpo exudes calmness — sometimes too much — in everything he does.

It is too easy to say that Gakpo will be an ideal player for Slot because the pair are Dutch, but the 24-year-old does possess a versatility and skill set that should make him a valuable asset. Based on Slot’s 4-2-3-1 set-up at Feyenoord, Gakpo’s profile suits the No 10, No 9 and wide roles.

It was noticeable that when Nunez came on against Spurs, Gakpo remained as the No 9 and his team-mate went onto the left flank. It proved effective, given the chances Jurgen Klopp’s side were able to create on the break despite Liverpool’s loss of control.

On another afternoon, Nunez could have ended the day with a goal and an assist and perceptions would have shifted again. Instead, the questions are heightened and it feels like the point where Liverpool have to stick or twist with him.

Nunez may not be the elite, consistent striker Liverpool thought they were signing from Benfica. Neither is he anywhere near as bad as some suggest. Had his price tag (an initial £64million) been more in Gakpo’s ballpark (an initial £37million) attitudes would doubtless be softer.

What Nunez does next will reveal plenty. The problem is, with Gakpo’s form, that opportunity may not come until pre-season.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

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