Cody Gakpo is keeping his fingers crossed that Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah will extend his stay at Anfield.
The 32-year-old Egypt forward is out of contract at the end of the season and a new deal is yet to be agreed.
Salah has been in sensational form so far this season and the two goals he scored against Tottenham on Sunday took him above Billy Liddell into fourth place on Liverpool’s list of all-time leading goalscorers.
Cody Gakpo has relished his first two years with the Reds – and is eager to keep up our form through the festive schedule 🫡🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 24, 2024
“It’s very special what we are all witnessing,” winger Gakpo told the club’s website.
“The amount of goals he scores but the assists he gives as well, the way he plays the game, how he puts other attacking players or midfielders like myself in a position to score and to be dangerous is from a high level.
“I hope for us and for him that he can continue doing that for a long time. We are very lucky to have him and proud that we can be his team-mate and try to make him better. And he is trying to make us better as well.”
Gakpo has also been a key man in the Reds’ surge to the top of the Premier League table, netting nine goals, including seven in his last 12 games in all competitions.
The Dutchman joined Liverpool two years ago following stellar performances at the World Cup, and he expressed his hope to stay at the club for “many more years”.
“I enjoy every minute I’m here,” the 25-year-old said. “It has been a fantastic two years for myself. A lot of things happened obviously – a lot of good moments, some less good moments but a lot of things that I’ve learned.
“I’m very happy to be here at the club, hopefully for many more years. I think now we are in a good place as a team and I’m very happy that I can contribute as well.”
Boxing Day will bring a reunion for Gakpo with new Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, who he worked with at PSV Eindhoven.
Having begun his tenure with victory over West Ham, Van Nistelrooy has been quickly brought down to earth by back-to-back defeats against Newcastle and Wolves in which his team have conceded seven goals and scored none.
“He was the striker coach for me when I was in the first team a little bit and also when I was in the academy,” Gakpo said of his time at PSV.
“I learned a lot from him and I’m very grateful for all the lessons. He was also my head coach in the last half-season I was at PSV, so very grateful for all the lessons he taught me and it was an honour to get all those teachings from him.”
