Netherlands and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, late on Saturday, made use of questions regarding the future of teammate Cody Gakpo to aim a less than subtle jibe at Manchester United.
Gakpo, of course, has seen his name cast firmly into the spotlight over the course of the last couple of weeks.
This comes with the explosive wide-man having built on a scintillating opening to the campaign at club level by announcing himself firmly onto the world stage, too.
Across appearances in each of the Netherlands’ World Cup group stage fixtures, Gakpo clinched a spot atop the Golden Boot charts, courtesy of a trio of goals.
Three games = three goals 🔥
Cody Gakpo has announced himself on the biggest stage 💫#BBCFootball #BBCWorldCup pic.twitter.com/VNMf1l5DDo
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 29, 2022
The already-rampant speculation surrounding his future beyond January, in turn, has only continued to mount.
Recent reports stemming from the continent have gone as far as to suggest that Gakpo is all set to make the move to England, after the powers that be at Manchester United struck a big-money deal with PSV Eindhoven for his services.
Speaking after guiding his nation into the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Liverpool standout van Dijk was drawn on Gakpo’s future, specifically on the prospect of his fellow countryman linking up with one of Man United, or Real Madrid.
And the stopper went on to call into question the former’s ‘level’ when compared to that of the European champions, in querying:
“Cody Gakpo to Man Utd or Real Madrid? Are Manchester United and Real Madrid the same level at this moment? No disrespect, not at all.”
Van Dijk: “Cody Gakpo to Man Utd or Real Madrid? Are Manchester United and Real Madrid the same level at this moment? No disrespect, not at all”, tells @TheAthleticFC. 🇳🇱 #transfers
“He’s a great boy. Cody works hard, is very talented and there’s definitely more in him”. pic.twitter.com/I2FEVgDaB5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 3, 2022
Netherlands 3-1 United States: Match report, player ratings, expert analysis, fan reaction and more
