Cody Gakpo’s return to Liverpool training on Thursday was expected after he announced his fitness to play this weekend.

Just a few months after joining the club for £37 million in the January 2023 transfer window, he made his debut in the Merseyside derby, the same match as this coming Saturday.

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It will be his second derby, but that first one in February was all it took to show him what a big deal the annual showdown between city rivals really is—and what a potent tool the Kop can be. Liverpool displayed glimpses of the brand of football that manager Jurgen Klopp has unleashed to great effect this season, and his close-range strike from a fantastic flowing move raised the roof of the venerable old stadium.

After a trophy-less season in a transitional year, Gakpo is confident that the fervor of the fans will be a decisive factor as the club seeks to win again.

“When you play at a club like Liverpool, I never won a prize here yet, but I can imagine it feels slightly different than with other clubs,” he said. When you play at home or on the road, the supporters are always loud and enthusiastic in their support.

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Gakpo’s first goal for Liverpool was undoubtedly a career highlight, as the Reds dominated the derby and gave Everton boss Sean Dyche a rough time throughout the match. But in an interview with the club’s website, he said that he has been preparing for success at his new club his entire life, owing to coaching from the greats (namely, his dad, Johnny).

My dad put in a lot of time training me for football when I first got into it. He always showed me old videos of Maradona and Pele since they were his heroes from back in the day,” he said. “That’s how I met them too, and they’re all quite smart. And then there was Messi, Ronaldo, and the rest of the stars. They were all motivations in my life.