Cody Gakpo moved to Liverpool in January (Picture: Getty Images)
Cody Gakpo thought a move to Manchester United was close last summer and discussed it with Red Devils legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, admitting that the speculation affected his game at the start of the season.
The Netherlands international was heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford over the summer, but nothing came of it and he stayed at PSV.
The forward then went on to star at the World Cup in Qatar and Liverpool moved quickly for him in January, bringing him to the Premier League for an initial £37m.
Gakpo says it was an easy decision to move to Anfield and the deal was done very quickly over Christmas, but he has also been very interested in the United move which never happened.
Van Nistelrooy was his boss at PSV and the pair had conversations about the Red Devils, but Gakpo thinks the former United striker will still be pleased that the Liverpool deal was done.
‘To be honest, I spoke to him a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming,’ Gakpo said of Van Nistelrooy. ‘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.
‘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.
Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Gakpo advice ahead of his move to England (Picture: Getty Images)
‘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 has had a slow start to life in the Premier League, still yet to score for his new club after six appearances. He will look to change that on Monday night in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.
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Ten Hag was interested in the forward before Klopp snapped him up.
