Whether he meant to or not, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has offended a fair few Manchester United fans this morning after being asked about the future of Netherlands teammate Cody Gakpo.
PSV forward Gakpo, who was heavily linked with a summer move to Old Trafford, has been one of the standout performers at this winter's World Cup.
The 23-year-old netted in all three group stage games against Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar, and he once again impressed on Saturday afternoon during the Netherlands' dominant 3-1 win over the United States.
He will no doubt be linked with a big money move next month, when the January transfer window comes around.
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And rather controversially, international teammate Virgil van Dijk has raised doubts over a potential move to Manchester United for Gakpo.
Speaking after the Oranje's impressive win against the US on Saturday, Liverpool's number four didn't hold back when asked about a move to either their Premier League rivals or Real Madrid.
“Are Manchester United and Real Madrid on the same level? No disrespect, not at all," he told The Athletic.
"I definitely think he has that next step in him. I definitely feel like it could happen, whether that is in the winter or the summer or next year, time will tell.
"He is a great boy who works hard, very talented and definitely there is more in him. We are so pleased he is doing so well for us. Long may it continue.”
The talented Gakpo, who has notched 12 goals and 16 assists for Eindhoven this term, certainly has plenty of suitors but PSV director Marcel Brands has ruled out a potential sale in January.
Interestingly, he also opened up about Leeds' summer move for the player, as well as his transfer value.
"No, this is not Cody Gakpo’s last match against Ajax," he told ESPN in November. "Next year he will also play the match in Eindhoven against Ajax. If it will be his last away match with PSV against Ajax? Yes, that is a possibility."
Brands added: "Leeds United offered €30 million with €11m as a bonus. Six of them were to be paid if Leeds reached the Champions League. People said and wrote a lot about this, but no one within the organisation of PSV wanted to accept this.
"If United offered the money that we wanted to have for Cody, then we would’ve sold him. You can not stop him then. With bonuses we wanted to go up until €50m."
Cody Gakpo to Manchester United🔜 pic.twitter.com/NvXC6Qt9dp
— Đeng🇧🇷🇫🇷 (@UTDDeng_) November 29, 2022
Gakpo, meanwhile, says he will make a decision about his future at the end of this winter's World Cup.
“I have to be honest, I am not thinking about that now,” he told The Athletic.
“I am focused on the tournament and want to keep performing well, to keep helping the team. Hopefully when we become world champions we can think about other things.
“I try to keep focused and the other players don’t really speak about that kind of thing.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Cody Gakpo, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool, Netherlands, Football World Cup
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