Gakpo flops in Man Utd transfer audition

Karan Tejwani

25 Aug 2022 01:40 CDT
4 min read

The Champions League play-off tie between PSV and Rangers was seen as an audition for Cody Gakpo, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks.

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Erik ten Hag has been a keen admirer of Gakpo’s talents, having seen first hand how dangerous the youngster can be in his Ajax days, and the play-off was set to be his stage to shine.

However, things weren’t quite as rosy, as PSV fell to defeat at home and missed out on the group stages, with Gakpo’s performance coming under criticism.

It was believed before kick-off that this could’ve been his final game for the club, but judging by how the evening went, things could change and he could be set for a PSV stay.

A lot of the interest around Gakpo was due to the fact that he was a major threat going forward, having netted 21 goals and provided 15 assists in the 2021-22 season, and starting this season in similar fashion.

It led to him being named the Dutch Footballer of the Year, voted by his fellow peers, as well as becoming a permanent fixture in the Dutch national team under Louis van Gaal.

Gakpo struggles in big moments

However, one criticism of his young career thus far has been his inability to often make a difference in big matches or important moments, and that came to the fore against Rangers once again.

In Wednesday evening’s match, he struggled to impose himself and was often isolated from the rest of the attack, even missing the one big chance he had by skying his shot over the bar.

A huge chunk of his goals last season came against lower-half Eredivisie opponents, and overall, his performances in big moments have often been questioned by fans and media alike.

And although he has a decent European scoring record, important matches like last season’s Conference League quarter-final against Leicester City saw Gakpo put in sluggish displays.

🗞 #mufc have serious plans for Cody Gakpo. It is expected United will concretise the interest in him after PSV play Rangers. It is now clear the player is interested in working under the orders of Erik ten Hag. [@telegraaf via @Sport_Witness]
— UtdDistrict 🔰 (@UtdDistrict) August 24, 2022

The Dutchman is still young, so there is always room for things to improve for him in the coming years, and perhaps a confidence boost of a transfer may help him.

If a transfer to Manchester United does happen, he’ll have a chance to work with Ten Hag, who is known to improve attackers, and that could be beneficial to Gakpo’s performances.

For now, as reported elsewhere, United’s interest in the player has cooled as they chase Ajax’s Antony, but there will always be interest in him, and they may come back for him in future transfer windows.