Van Nistelrooy: Gakpo's dream transfer was Man Utd!

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2023 09:09 CDT
• 2 min read

PSV manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has said Cody Gakpo’s dream move was to Manchester United, despite the forward moving to Liverpool in January.

Gakpo agreed a deal to move to Liverpool in December before completing the transfer upon the opening of the January transfer window.

Prior to that, he was under plenty of demand as one of the best emerging talents in the Eredivisie, and impressing at the World Cup with the Netherlands, where he scored three goals in the tournament.

READ: Cody Gakpo: Netherlands boss worries for Liverpool signing

He secured a move to Liverpool, who quickly moved under the noses of their rivals, but Van Nistelrooy has said it wasn’t Gakpo’s dream to move to Anfield.

Van Nistelrooy makes Gakpo admission

Van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United forward, advised Gakpo about a move to Old Trafford but he listened to international team-mate and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk instead.

Van Nistelrooy said: "Gakpo's dream move was Manchester United, he was in contact with Ten Hag since August. I also wanted him to join United - not just because it's my club and I love them, but also because they are better than Liverpool and offer a lot more potential to their players."

READ: Antony, Gakpo, Madueke - how many Eredivisie signings were actually good?

"Manchester United did not make a bid in January, so I advised him to wait 'til the summer. Something happened and he refused my advice and listened to Virgil van Dijk who tempted him to join his team. He told me he wanted to move abroad in January."

“The fact is Liverpool is ten times smaller than Manchester United, in every department. I feel lucky that I played for the two biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Gakpo would have been scoring goals for United already, they have great midfielders who create many chances like Fernandes, Casemiro, and even Eriksen.”

Gakpo is yet to score for Liverpool and has generally struggled for form since moving to the Reds, while Manchester United have had a positive 2023 so far, competing for Champions League football for next season.