Liverpool have finally signed the NEXT Sadio Mane for just £44m

Ever since Sadio Mane has left Liverpool there has been a gaping abyss in the attack.

The Reds haven't really properly replaced Mane and his brilliant output over the last couple of years.

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While goals have continued to flow from the right-wing with Mohamed Salah staying on and breaking more and more records, goals from the left-wing have been sparse.

That is until now, with Arne Slot having helped Liverpool discover the true heir to Mane's throne.

Why Cody Gakpo has become the heir to Sadio Mane's throne

On a cold frosty evening, Liverpool needed something special to get the momentum back against a Man United side who had surprised them with their effort on the pitch.

For most of the first-half the Reds looked down and out and United were by far the better team. When Lisandro Martinez struck home past Alisson, it was a Man United goal that had been brewing.

At the other end Liverpool struggled to breakdown a resolute defence. But then, out of nowhere came Cody Gakpo.

The Dutchman waltzed down the left wing, made his way into the box, cut onto his right-foot and smashed the ball into the top corner of the net.

That finish swung the momentum in Liverpool's favour. Anfield was born anew and the crowd was back being its lively best.

This isn't Gakpo's first moment like this recently. Against Leicester City on Boxing Day he came up trumps with a beautiful finish. And when Liverpool needed another goal to kill the game off, Gakpo was on hand, once again switching the ball across to Mohamed Salah for the Egyptian to finally score a goal that had eluded him all night.

It means that in his last 14 matches, Gakpo now has 12 goal contributions averaging a goal or assist every 67 minutes.

It's a small sample size, but those numbers are on par with Mane at his very best in a Liverpool shirt.

Gakpo hasn't perhaps always fulfilled those expectations at Liverpool. Signed for a fee that could rise up to £44m [The Guardian], he had his moments under Jurgen Klopp but never really found consistency.

That's something he has completely discovered now under Arne Slot. Liverpool's new head-coach seems to have found the trick to get the best out of him.

And in turn, Slot has finally also found the long-awaited replacement for Sadio Mane. Gakpo is the left-winger we have been waiting for ever since Mane left for pastures new.

United was another confirmation of that. At long last, it seems like Gakpo has finally arrived.

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