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

Liverpool legend-in-waiting Virgil van Dijk left a team-mate stunned when he told them the details about Manchester United's misguided decision to leave him up for grabs

Virgil van Dijk previously revealed why Manchester United didn't sign him before he joined Liverpool.

The imperious centre-back, 33, made himself a man in demand with his performances for Southampton. Van Dijk proved he could handle the tempo of the Premier League and some following his £11.5million move from Celtic.

A move to one of the top six soon seemed inevitable. But it could've been United, not Liverpool, who he signed on the dotted line for had Old Trafford chiefs not made a decision they've been made to regret.

Back in the 2017 summer transfer window, the Red Devils were in the market for a new defender. Van Dijk was on their two-man shortlist, but they opted to go for the other option.

That's according to Charlie Austin, who recalled a conversation he had with his former team-mate after he'd failed to secure his desired move away in that window. Speaking on talkSPORT in 2021, Austin explained: "I remember the back end of his [Van Dijk's] Southampton career, we were on the bench together at Chelsea away.

"I sat there, I said, 'Come on Virgil, what's going on, surely Man United must've been in for you? Massive club in England, etc.' He said, 'You know what Chaz, in the summer it was like between me or [Victor] Lindelof and they signed Lindelof'.

"I was like, 'You are joking!' Nobody knows that, he told me that on the bench. I couldn't believe it, I was just as gobsmacked as you. Obviously, there was talk in the summer he was going to go there then they've gone and taken Lindelof instead."

Lindelof has gone on to make 260 appearances for United in the seven-plus years since, but he's never convinced enough to be an established starter. According to the Times, they went back in for Van Dijk before his January 2018 switch to Anfield for £75m.

But even though they offered more money to the Saints, it proved to be too little too late with his medical already completed. United would go on to sign Harry Maguire for £80m that summer instead, another move that hasn't unfolded as well as it was hoped it would.

Their fans can take some solace from the fact that Austin reckons it's a transfer that never would've happened anyway. Asked if Van Dijk would’ve gone to United, he replied: "I’m not sure, I think he had his heart set on going to Liverpool."

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