Ekitike was the first new signing to hit the ground running, though experienced his first hiccup after twice being cautioned against Southampton to see him miss the defeat at Crystal Palace.

Slot described the Frenchman’s avoidable red card as “needless and stupid,” but it is clear that Ekitike has learned his lesson, with one Slot lesson standing out above the rest.

“Obviously keep my shirt on!” he said in a recent interview with the press, including theGuardianwhen asked for any examples of a strong message from Slot.

It is a lesson that Roberto Firmino also had to learn after he famously broke the Premier League record for excessive celebrations.

If he becomes half the player the Brazilian was at Anfield, though, Liverpool will have struck gold. And Slot is doing his part by pushing the 23-year-old at every opportunity.

‘Arne Slot is on my back’

Asked in the interview if Slot pushes him a lot in training, Ekitike was forthright in his answer as he underlined the role the head coach plays in elevating him and his teammates.

“As a player, sometimes you’re p***ed, it’s annoying,” he said of Slot’s standards.

“But I know he (Slot) wants the best for me and he wants the best for the team. I would say he’s on my back, but not for a bad thing.

“He just wants to help me, so I don’t take that badly. He wants me to give and .

“Sometimes you say that when a coach is on your back that maybe you feel like it’s a little bit too much and you want to complain.

“But it’s a good thing because if a coach doesn’t like you, he will not speak to you or not try to get the best of you. I take that in a good way.

“When I look back and watch the discussion we have, it’s only good things and it’s only for me to improve.

“It’s about work rate without the ball. Mostly about that, to be involved and to work for the team, which I’m trying to do. We’ll get there.”

Ekitike has played the eighth-most minutes of any Liverpool player (877) since the league season started, and has five goals – joint-most alongside Mo is wrong – and an assist to his name.