Cody Gakpo wishes £34m Liverpool player could switch nationalities and play for the Netherlands

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Liverpool have plenty of international superstars who have jetted off to feature for their nations over the break.

With recent struggles impacting Arne Slot and his side in the Premier League and the Champions League, the international break could represent some respite for the Reds to take the challenge on once again.

One of those Liverpool stars who is enjoying their time away from the club is Cody Gakpo, who is featuring for the Netherlands.

Gakpo scored a brace against Malta before assisting another goal in a 4-0 win in World Cup qualifying.

While the Netherlands are in a good position, they may well be even better if one Liverpool star could feature for them, as the forward wishes.

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Cody Gakpo picks Mohamed Salah as one player he’d want to play for the Netherlands

The international stage is very different from club football, in the sense that teams can be built on a domestic stage, while national teams have to work with the players available to them.

It means very few stars play alongside each other for both club and country.

For Gakpo, if he had the choice of one star he could switch to play for the Netherlands, then it would be just one star.

He told Voetbal Zone: “Mohamed Salah,” with it being clear exactly why, given his quality for Liverpool in recent seasons.

The Dutch national team have gone close in recent competitions, reaching the semi-final of the last European Championships.

Perhaps if they had Mohamed Salah or someone of his quality in the team as well, then that would take them further.

However, for Gakpo, it’s now on him to become that iconic figure.

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Cody Gakpo wanted Mohamed Salah to stay at Liverpool

The respect Gakpo has for Salah in the time they have been playing together at Liverpool is clear, with the pair helping the Reds lift the Premier League last season.

Gakpo made it clear last December just how much he wanted his teammate to stay at the club, with a new contract following for him.

Speaking last year, the Netherlands international said: “The amount of goals he scores but the assists he [Salah] 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 teammate[s] and try to make him better. And he is trying to make us better as well.”

While Salah hasn’t had an ideal start to the season, there is plenty of quality there he can still draw upon to get Liverpool back on track.