‘Virgil van Dijk left me gobsmacked when he revealed real reason Man Utd didn’t sign him’

Virgil van Dijk could’ve been calling Old Trafford home had Man Utd followed through on their interest (Image: Getty Images)

A future Liverpool legend When Virgil van Dijk revealed to a teammate the specifics of Manchester United’s foolish choice to trade him, the teammate was taken aback.

Prior to joining Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk disclosed the reason Manchester United did not sign him.

The 33-year-old, imposing center back became well-known for his Southampton performances. Van Dijk showed he could play at the Premier League’s fast pace after joining from Celtic for £11.5 million.

It quickly appeared inevitable to move up to one of the top six. But if Old Trafford officials hadn’t taken a move they now regret, it might have been United, not Liverpool, that he signed a contract for.

The Red Devils needed a new defender back in the 2017 summer transfer window. Even though Van Dijk was on their two-man shortlist, they decided to take the other route.

Charlie Austin, who remembered a chat he’d had with his old teammate after he’d failed to get his desired move away in that window, said as much. “I remember the back end of his [Van Dijk’s] Southampton career, we were on the bench together at Chelsea away,” Austin said in a 2021 talkSPORT interview.

“Come on, Virgil, what’s going on, surely Man United must have come in for you? I murmured to myself as I sat there. enormous English club, etc. You know what, Chaz, it was like me or Lindelof in the summer, and they signed Lindelof.

I thought, ‘You’re kidding!'” He informed me on the bench that nobody is aware of that. Like you, I was in complete shock and couldn’t believe it. Evidently, there had been discussions during the summer about his visit, but they ended up taking Lindelof instead.”

In the more than seven years since, Lindelof has made 260 appearances for United, but he has never been deemed reliable enough to be a regular starter. The Times claims that they made another bid for Van Dijk prior to his £75 million transfer to Anfield in January 2018.

Van Dijk told Charlie Austin that United signed Victor Lindelof instead ( Image: Getty Images)

However, since his medical was already finished, it turned out to be too little, too late even if they gave the Saints a higher offer. That summer, United would instead sign Harry Maguire for a reported £80 million, a deal that hasn’t gone as planned.

Austin feels that the transfer never would have happened, so it gives their supporters some comfort. “I think he had his heart set on going to Liverpool,” Van Dijk said in response to the question of whether he would have chosen to play for United.