Vrigil van Dijk aimed a brutal dig at Manchester United, hinting they have little chance of signing Cody Gakpo as and when the player opts to leave the Eredivisie club.
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The 23-year-old attacker has emerged as one of the stars of the World Cup, scoring three times in four appearances and enhancing his burgeoning reputation.
Although he failed to score, Gakpo produced another good performance as Louis van Gaal’s emerging side advanced to the World Cup quarter finals after a 3-1 win over USA.
Gakpo came close to moving to Old Trafford in the summer but stayed at PSV after Erik ten Hag switched his attention to Ajax’s Antony.
The forward’s value has sky rocketed over the course of the last 10 days and Van Dijk believes the Red Devils will have little chance of competing for his signature should the European elite enter the running.
‘Are Manchester United and Real Madrid on the same level?’ said Van Dijk when informed of the interest in Gakpo from Europe’s heavyweight clubs. ‘No disrespect, not at all.
‘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.’
Van Dijk’s Liverpool, meanwhile, are facing something of an uncertain future after John W Henry’s decision to put the Merseyside club for sale.
Reacting to FSG’s impending exit, Van Dijk said: ‘I have full trust in Liverpool that they will be fine,” he added. “We are a very established club, one of the biggest in the world and that will stay that way.
‘Whoever comes in to fill in those roles, they will do very well. I am aware of everything that is happening.
‘Whether I am taking it in and doing something with it right now, I don’t think so because the full focus is on the World Cup but hopefully everything will be sorted and clarified when I am back. At this point, I am definitely not thinking about it.’
