Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has admitted that Manchester United dropped out of the race to sign him before he went on to move to Anfield. And the Reds' bitter rivals were already told by one of their club legends why they should have moved to sign the Netherlands international.

Gakpo has been flourishing in Arne Slot's team since his compatriot's appointment as Liverpool's new head coach last season. The 25-year-old has scored 14 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in the 4-1 win over Ipswich Town at the weekend.

A deal was agreed between Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven in January 2023 for Gakpo that was worth around £40million. Before that, Gakpo was heavily linked with a move to United, where Old Trafford legend Ruud van Nistelrooy was manager.

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Van Nistelrooy, who was recently caretaker manager of United before taking his current job at Leicester City, spoke about rumours around Gakpo's future during the final months of the forward's time at PSV. The message would go on to serve as a reminder of what Liverpool gained and United missed out on with Gakpo's abilities.

"There have been rumours about him [Gakpo] since the beginning of the season almost eight weeks ago and we have not seen Cody changing his behaviour up to now," said van Nistelrooy in September 2022.

"There were rumours over the whole period and I admire that a lot in him, he's working on his development on a daily basis, playing in games and reaching his levels.

"He's not distracted, he's focused on games he has to play and focused on his next game. For a young guy like him, it's special to see that attitude."

Soon after signing for Liverpool, Gakpo would give an honest take on the rumours surrounding his future prior to his move to Anfield. He admitted that he spoke to Van Nistelrooy about the interest from United, and why he ultimately decided to sign for Liverpool instead.

"To be honest, I spoke to him [Van Nistelrooy] a lot about United in the summer when the transfer looked like it may be coming," Gakpo said in February 2023, soon after signing for Liverpool. "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."

Ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash against his former club on Wednesday night, Gakpo spoke about the interest from Man United before he moved to Anfield.

"In the summer of 2022, I was planning to leave and then almost went to [Manchester] United," Gakpo said in recent an interview with TNT Sports.

"In the end they didn't want me anymore, then I stayed here and I could go to two other clubs and I prayed about it to find the answer and some goals that I scored.

"In the end if I scored a hat-trick I should stay and I scored the first hat-trick of my career so I couldn't get a more clear answer. That guided me a lot and besides that, my parents guide me a lot with the things I do."