Cody Gakpo makes Man United admission before Liverpool transfer

Cody Gakpo makes Manchester United admission before landing at Liverpool

The only signing Liverpool made throughout the January transfer window was 23-year-old Dutchman Cody Gakpo who joined from PSV for a fee of £34m. However, the move was a major surprise for the fans as the World Cup star stood extensively linked with a transfer to Manchester United.

The former PSV man is yet to get on the scoresheet for the Reds but hopefully, he gets going sooner than later. Gakpo recently spoke about his move to Liverpool, and the speculations about United as well.

Moreover, Ruud van Nistelrooy as his manager at PSV would have obviously talked to him about the prospect of moving to United as he is an icon at the club. However, it was probably the Red Devils’ lethargicness in the January window that meant that Gakpo came to Merseyside and not Manchester.

Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Here is what he had to say on his transfer situation before his move to the Reds (h/t Liverpool Echo):

“To be honest, I spoke to him a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming. 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.”

“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’.”

Gakpo is in (Liverpool) Red now

According to Gakpo, the decision to move to Anfield and join Liverpool was a straightforward one, and the process was completed rapidly during the holiday season. Despite this, he has also expressed interest in a potential move to United, which ultimately did not materialize.

Speaking of the present moment though, Gakpo is visibly finding it tough to adjust to a struggling Liverpool team. When a team as a whole is not doing great, a new signing making the headlines would naturally be out of the picture.

Liverpool's January signing Cody Gakpo admits to "difficult" start. — Liverpool’s January signing Cody Gakpo admits to a “difficult” start. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

However, he would hope to get on the scoresheet soon, and what better occasion to do so than the Merseyside derby? Here is some Trivia, a certain Dutchman scored his first goal for Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby in 2018. Gakpo would hope to emulate his national team captain Virgil van Dijk in doing so as well.

More Liverpool News:

With better service, it is just a matter of time before Gakpo shows his World Cup and Eredivisie levels in the Premier League as well. Hopefully, he can shine at Liverpool, and make himself a fan-favorite in the coming years.