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Plans were hurriedly put in place for the majority of the squad to return from their vacations and fly to Portugal, as a club unified in grief and shock, to where Jota and Andre were to be buried.

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By the morning of Saturday, July 5, Jota and his younger sibling were laid to rest following a service at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar (the Mother Church of Gondomar), where the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, spoke at length to the famous faces in attendance about how much both men meant to the modest municipality.

Alongside The Athletic, the ECHO sat down with Gakpo at Liverpool's team hotel in Japan on their pre-season tour, to gain a sense of just what the days that followed after Jota's unimaginably tragic death were truly like inside the camp.

At the time of writing in Asia, it's just less than a month since the sudden passing of the popular Portuguese and with a club still in mourning, Gakpo is the first player of Arne Slot's Premier League title winners to detail exactly how it has been for the Reds' players in the days and weeks that have followed.

On Monday, Liverpool will play host to two friendlies with Spanish side Athletic in the first fixtures back at the venue since Jota's passing and it promises to be a searingly emotional day once more, as everyone connected to the club continues to grieve.

"It's been very difficult, for obvious reasons," Gakpo says.

But yeah, you could see how we try to act as a club and a team, the supporters as well, the whole city, every football fan, that we as Liverpool try to be a family."

Those with knowledge of the last month at Anfield say Netherlands international Gakpo has been a tower of strength, tapping into his deep faith and stoically providing comfort and support for those who have needed it.

Liverpool are continuing to have dialogue over how best to honour Jota and after opening a book of condolences at Anfield in the immediate aftermath and freeing up greenspace for supporters to lay down their floral and gaming-inspired tributes outside the stadium, it was announced that the No.20 shirt was to be retired in his honour last month.

A sculpture has since been commissioned, while the players themselves will display their own message through a specially-made ‘Forever 20’ emblem on the brand new Adidas kit, which was officially launched on Friday morning.

It's all part of the process of remembering and honouring their friend and team-mate, who did so much to help bring home the Premier League trophy last season with some important goals and performances.

Liverpool first returned to action after Jota's death on July 13, when they were hosted by Preston North End in a pre-season friendly.

He will be missed this season but he will be missed by us, this club, this team and his family, for the rest of our lives.

"The Preston game was emotional and yes, the song, I think we could play that song for 10 more days!

"You come to the club and settle in and everyone does it in their own time and some players it is very fast and some players it takes a little bit more time.

"But I think after last season, which all the factors played in favour of our team and the slight changes of position for myself as well, I think we can build on that and become even better than we were last season and we can achieve even more.

"I don't know how else we can see this otherwise, you know?

Obviously new players come in and they are either going to play or not play but I just try to be better than I was last season and then we will see where we are at."

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It's a period they all want to experience again.

"After Tottenham, Anfield was amazing and after the last game of the season, Anfield was amazing again," Gakpo says.
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