Man United already shunned perfect Marcus Rashford replacement as transfer admission made

Every club in the Premier League will arguably have one player that they may have in mind as the one that got away. For Manchester United, that player could be Cody Gakpo.

United expressed an interest in signing the Netherlands international during his time at PSV Eindhoven. Rumours of the interest emerged in the summer of 2022 ahead of Erik ten Hag's first season as United manager.

That same summer, United signed Antony, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Martin Dubravka (loan). Gakpo remained at PSV for the remainder of 2022, but eventually joined United's bitter rivals Liverpool in January 2023.

Things could have gone much differently, with Gakpo admitting that United did express an interest in his signature. However, the 25-year-old has claimed that the Reds changed their minds when it came to bringing him to Old Trafford.

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

Given the current situation with Ruben Amorim's squad, United may have been wise to bring Gakpo to the club two-and-a-half years ago. The forward has scored 14 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this term, with the majority of his goals coming when starring on the left wing for the Merseyside club.

United could see two of their left wingers leave the club before the January transfer window closes. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have been heavily linked with moves away from Old Trafford in recent weeks, and it remains to be seen if either will still be at the club for the second half of the season.

Had United already signed Gakpo, they may have had the confidence to let Garnacho or Rashford leave the club knowing they have a replacement in their ranks. As it is, there is uncertainty over who would fill the void left by Rashford and Garnacho's absences for the long term if either were to leave the club.

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