Gakpo says he met with Slot at the start of the season concerned about where the new manager planned to field him.
One of my first conversations with the manager here was about the position,” the forward told the Liverpool Echo. “I was wondering what he thought, because I knew also that I can do a lot better than I did before if I play in my right position
“Obviously he knew me already from the Netherlands, and I’d just come back from the Euros which were good for me.
“He just said ‘you have to focus on the left wing, I'm not going tell you that you're going play all the games because we have Lucho (Luis Diaz) and other players who can come in and play who are really good, but if you come in or if you play, this is most likely the position you will play’.
“So there was already for me a kind of a relief that I can develop there and become the player I always imagine I can be. So I'm working towards that point now and hopefully I can get better than I am today and help the team more as much as I can.”
With Liverpool Premier League winners-elect, Gakpo feels the tweaks made by Slot have made the difference after succeeding Jurgen Klopp.
“The style of play is a bit different for the whole team, a little bit more possession-based,” said the Dutchman. “The intensity in defending is still the same, but with the ball, the manager has tried to implement some different tactics. Those two things in particular are things that changed most for me.
“Why do I enjoy it on the left so much? Because I played there all my life, in senior football at least, except for two years which was the last two years I was here. That’s one reason. And another is I think also the qualities that I have, I can really use them from that position.”