Virgil van Dijk has shared insights on why Manchester United missed the chance to sign him before he joined Liverpool.
The commanding 33-year-old center-back established himself as a sought-after player with his standout performances at Southampton, demonstrating his ability to thrive in the Premier League following his £11.5 million transfer from Celtic.
A move to one of the top six clubs seemed almost certain. However, it could have been Manchester United, rather than Liverpool, that secured his signature, had the Old Trafford decision-makers not made a choice they now regret.
During the summer transfer window of 2017, United was looking to bolster their defense. Van Dijk was on their shortlist, but ultimately, they chose to pursue a different player.
Charlie Austin recently recounted a conversation with Virgil van Dijk about his near-move to Manchester United. Speaking on talkSPORT in 2021, Austin reflected on their time together at Southampton: “I remember the end of Virgil’s time at Southampton when we were on the bench at Chelsea. I asked him, ‘Come on, surely Manchester United must have been after you? They’re a massive club!’ He replied, ‘You know what, Chaz? It was basically between me and [Victor] Lindelof, and they signed Lindelof.’ I was stunned! Nobody knew that; I couldn’t believe it.”
Since then, Lindelof has made over 260 appearances for United in the seven years that followed, but he hasn’t consistently secured a starting position. According to the Times, United did express interest in Van Dijk again before his January 2018 transfer to Liverpool for £75 million, but by then, it was too late as Van Dijk had already completed his medical.
Later, United opted to sign Harry Maguire for £80 million that summer, a move that hasn’t gone as well as they had hoped. However, Austin suggested that even if United had pursued Van Dijk more seriously, it might not have mattered, saying, “I’m not sure he would have gone there; I think he had his heart set on Liverpool.”
