Would Gakpo be any more than ‘a number’ at Man Utd? PSV star sent transfer warning amid Premier League rumours

• Dutch winger starring in his homeland
• Came close to joining Red Devils
• Must think carefully about next move

WHAT HAPPENED? Interest from Old Trafford in the PSV winger built steadily over the summer, with Erik ten Hag a big fan of his fellow Dutchman. A deal was discussed, but no agreement was pushed through and Gakpo – who is already up to 13 goals and 11 assists this season – has been advised to think carefully about whether Premier League heavyweights are the right landing spot for him.

WHAT THEY SAID: Twan Scheepers, who worked with Gakpo in the youth ranks at PSV, has told The Athletic: “The choice he makes, I don’t think it’s going to be about him making good money. He’ll make a choice based on how he’s going to develop. When you go from Holland to somewhere like England, you need time to develop. After PSV, whenever that is, he’ll need somewhere which gives him space and a plan, a good programme, always playing in his best position. I’ve said to him many times, ‘Make the right decision’ — and I think he will. The most scary thing when I think about Cody is that he goes to a club where he’s just a number, no more than a number.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gakpo has admitted that he came close to joining United in the last transfer window, but they are far from being his only suitors and plenty of thought must be given to his career path when the day comes to take on a new challenge outside of his homeland.

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WHAT NEXT FOR GAKPO? United are not expected to be busy in January, while asking prices tend to get inflated in winter windows, and that could mean that Gakpo – who will be hoping to form part of the Netherlands squad at the 2022 World Cup – gets to see out the current campaign before reassessing his transfer options.