Let's be honest about what Cody Gakpo has had to absorb over the past few months. A difficult domestic campaign that made him a target for criticism. The Netherlands' World Cup exit on penalties against Morocco in the Round of 32. And then, in the most painful circumstances imaginable, his partner Noa publicly sharing the news of the couple's miscarriage, a heartbreak Gakpo carried while still making himself available for selection during the tournament. That alone tells you something about the character of the man.

Back on Merseyside for pre-season, things didn't exactly settle down either. Manchester City joined Tottenham Hotspur, whose interest had been long-standing, as potential suitors, and talks over an £85m deal intensified following the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest last month. In that very match, Gakpo had been asked to operate in the unfamiliar role of right wing under new head coach Andoni Iraola, delivering a flawless assist for Alexander Isak while the speculation around his future swirled. A move to Enzo Maresca's City was beginning to look genuinely likely. It would have been entirely understandable had the whole situation left him hollow.

Instead, Gakpo has been one of the standout performers of Liverpool's opening three Premier League fixtures. A goal and three assists, all for Isak, is the kind of return that demands attention, but it's the quality of those contributions that really catches the eye. The sharp turn and inch-perfect pass across the face of goal against Forest. The wonderful outside-of-the-foot ball to release Isak for the second at Ipswich, just moments after he had played in the Sweden striker for the first. These aren't lucky deflections or tap-ins dressed up as creative work. They are the actions of a player operating with clarity and confidence.

Virgil van Dijk, who sees Gakpo up close every day, was characteristically measured but clearly sincere after Friday's 2-0 win over Ipswich Town. "I don't think only this season he has been important," the Reds captain said. "Obviously over the last seasons anyway. So yeah, I'm glad he stayed. I don't think anyone knows what he's been through. So I don't think it's easy for the outside world to see what he's had on his plate. What the reality is, I don't think anyone needs to know that. But his reality is he's here with us and he wants to be important for us. And he showed it already over numerous games, including the last two games before tonight and today again." When van Dijk speaks with that kind of weight, you listen.

The arrival of Bradley Barcola, the second most expensive signing in Liverpool's history at £123m, inevitably raises the question of where Gakpo slots into Iraola's plans going forward. With Barcola likely to operate on the left, Gakpo may find himself continuing in that right-wing role that felt unfamiliar just a few weeks ago. It is an adjustment, no question, and not one every player would relish.

But the evidence so far suggests Gakpo is not the type to sulk about positional tweaks or fading transfer possibilities. Liverpool's decision to halt negotiations with City and keep him on Merseyside, reportedly turning their attention to Ismaila Sarr and Yankuba Minteh as potential alternatives had he left, is already looking like a shrewd one. If last season was difficult for the 27-year-old, he was far from the only one underperforming across the squad, and the early weeks of this campaign hint strongly at a player intent on reminding everyone what he is genuinely capable of.

Gakpo's story this season is only just beginning, and if these opening chapters are anything to go by, it promises to be a compelling one.