Louis van Gaal's Netherlands side played their final international match before November’s World Cup on Sunday night, overcoming FIFA’s number two ranked nation Belgium 1-0.
The winning goal came with just 17 minutes to go when Liverpool ’s Virgil Van Dijk headed home a Cody Gakpo corner. That was Gakpo’s eighth goal contribution across his last five appearances for club and country, shedding some light on why he was a primary transfer target for Manchester United over the summer.
Reports suggested he was actually very close to making a switch to Old Trafford, however United would have likely needed to lose Cristiano Ronaldo or fail in their attempt to sign Antony from Ajax in order to push the button on the transfer.
Consequently the 23-year-old remained at PSV, however the scintillating way in which he’s started this campaign would have maintained United's interest and it’s a move they still could look to complete.
Beyond his obvious attacking ability, the assist he provided Van Dijk on Sunday was a reminder of one big way he could aid Erik ten Hag’s side should he arrive, and that’s by making them more dangerous from set-pieces.
Boasting bags of technical ability, it’s telling that no PSV player averaged more passes leading to a shot on goal than Gakpo last season, with a sizeable portion of those contributions coming from dead-ball situations.
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Although United already have players who are dangerous from set-pieces on paper, names like Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw, the team’s pretty underwhelming record from set-pieces in recent seasons highlights it’s still an area they need to work on.
Last season only Watford and Norwich, two teams who were relegated, managed fewer Premier League set-piece goals than United’s total of seven. While this season, they remain just one of three teams yet to open their account from a dead-ball situation.
Obviously, there is a lot more to Gakpo’s game than just his ability to deliver dangerous balls into the box. He’s at his best either on the left or through the middle of an attack, and boasts a big physical profile, standing at 6ft2in. This inevitably makes him a tough opponent to dislodge off the ball.
Despite his physical attributes though, what makes him so appealing is also the way in which he combines them with great dribbling ability and speed. All of these traits together shed light on why he is considered one of the most exciting young attackers across Europe.
Gakpo himself lifted the lid on United’s interest in an interview with soccernews.nl last week, admitting he “thought he would” end up at Old Trafford before the transfer window closed: "Manchester United had reported at the beginning of the transfer window. We were waiting for that a bit. The signals became more and more positive and at a certain point, I thought it might fall in that direction.
"That option faded a bit and completely last week. We worked the whole window towards it. Until last week I thought I would go to Manchester United." While the move never came to fruition this summer, it’s easy to see why it still could in the not-so-distant future.
