“Not as fun to watch” – Liverpool fans fear Reds are wasting 24-year-old star by playing him in new position against Darmstadt

Liverpool fans have questioned Jurgen Klopp's decision to start Cody Gakpo in midfield in their pre-season friendly against SV Darmstadt 98 later today (7 August).

Gakpo was signed from PSV Eindhoven in January for a fee of €42 million and has since registered seven goals and three assists in 26 games. He is a centre-forward by trade and can also play out wide if needed.

But a lack of central midfielders at his disposal is seemingly forcing Klopp to try out new things. He has already experimented with Trent Alexander-Arnold by playing him in defensive midfield in pre-season after the exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

Now, it seems that the German tactician wants to try out Gakpo in the No. 8 role before the start of the new season. He has named a midfield three of Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai against the German team, with Alexander-Arnold slotting in at right-back.

Liverpool fans, however, don't seem completely on board with the idea of seeing the Netherlands international in central midfield. One fan tweeted:

"Gakpo in midfield is a waste it’s not as fun to watch"

Others added:

This could be Klopp's way to prepare for the worst. He currently lacks a first-team defensive midfielder after Fabinho's move to Al-Ittihad.

The German tactician does have Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones as options in midfield. However, they are not yet thought of as pinned starters in central midfield at the club.

This isn't the first time Klopp has started Gakpo in the No. 8 role. The 24-year-old was playing as the left-sided central midfielder in his team's 4-4 friendly draw against Greuther Furth on 24 July.

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Liverpool suffer another setback in Romeo Lavia pursuit - reports

Liverpool have reportedly seen a £45 million (plus add-ons) bid rejected for Southampton's Romeo Lavia.

The Reds have evidently accelerated their pursuit of the Belgium international after Fabinho's exit. He is a specialist defensive midfielder who joined the Saints from Manchester City last summer for a fee of €12.3 million (£10.59 million).

The Saints, who were relegated to the Championship last season, value Lavia at £50 million. Journalist Sacha Tavolieri claims that talks will continue between both teams despite the latest bid being rejected.

Lavia, 19, made 34 appearances across competitions for Southampton last term and was arguably one of their best players. But he was left as an unused substitute in his team's 1-2 Championship win against Sheffield Wednesday on 4 August.