Cody Gakpo has admitted he spoke to Ruud van Nistelrooy about a transfer to Manchester United before signing for Liverpool in the January transfer window.
The Dutch attacker joined the Merseyside outfit from PSV Eindhoven last month after impressing at the World Cup for the Netherlands. He had enjoyed a productive 18 months with the Eredivisie side, which saw him come close to signing for United last summer.
United legend Van Nistelrooy was his manager at PSV, and Gakpo has revealed that he spoke to his compatriot about the prospect of joining Erik ten Hag's side. However, while Van Nistelrooy would have likely preferred the 23-year-old move to Old Trafford, the player admitted that his former manager put personal allegiances aside.
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Gakpo is yet to score or assist for Liverpool in his first six appearances, with Jurgen Klopp's men struggling in the Premier League - having won just eight league matches all campaign.
"To be honest, I spoke to him [Van Nistelrooy] a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming," Gakpo said. "But in the winter, not really. It was Ruud’s wish that I went to a big club - and I think I have achieved that with Liverpool.
"There was a lot of speculation in the summer. It was the first window where it was possible to move and so, yes, it affected me a little bit.
"But then there was one moment when I just said, 'forget about it, play your best game, and maybe it will happen next summer or in the winter'. That's what I tried to do and it went well."
Gakpo admitted that it was a surprise when he found out that it was Liverpool who had made the move for him before Christmas, claiming that he wasn’t made aware of contact until after the World Cup.
He added: "I heard about Liverpool's interest - and I think five days later the deal was done. My manager and brother knew about it for a longer time, but I said to them at the World Cup not to tell me anything because I have to focus.
"As soon as I heard about the interest, the feeling was, 'come on, let's go'. You have a second Christmas Day? Boxing Day, right? I was with the family - including nieces and aunties - and I was getting calls all the time about Liverpool.
"But on Christmas Day, I was not on my phone. That is a very important day so the phone was away. It was the very next day that it happened."
Gakpo is likely to feature for Liverpool against United when the two sides meet in the Premier League on March 5.
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