Ruud van Nistelrooy hits out at 'fake quotes' over Cody Gakpo's 'Man Utd snub'

PSV Eindhoven manager Ruud van Nistelrooy has set the record straight over some 'fake' quotes attributed to him over Cody Gakpo's move to Liverpool in January.

Gakpo was widely expected to leave PSV for Manchester United to work under Erik ten Hag, with the winger even speaking openly of his interest in making the move to Old Trafford, but it was Liverpool who swooped in and got a deal done.

Shortly after the move went through, quotes emerged online which appeared to be from Van Nistelrooy, with the former United striker said to have tried to convince Gakpo to move to Manchester instead.

“I advised him to wait ’til the summer," the reports quoted Van Nistelrooy as saying. "Something happened and he refused my advice and listened to Virgil van Dijk, who tempted him to join his team. I also wanted him to join United. Not just because it’s my club and I love them, but also because they are better than Liverpool and offer a lot more potential to their players.”

Now, Van Nistelrooy has publicly distanced himself from the 'quotes', insisting he never said anything of the sort.

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"I saw one of the worst quotes about me on that [Gakpo signing for Liverpool]," Van Nistelrooy told Gary Neville on The Overlap. "Gakpo got asked about it, Liverpool [and] Manchester United, but it was a completely made-up, fake quote."

Since Gakpo's move to Liverpool, Van Nistelrooy has publicly praised his former player for his quick adaptation to life in the Premier League.

“I thought Cody was strong”, Van Nistelrooy told De Telegraaf after the recent 5-2 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League. “Just like all of Liverpool in the first twenty minutes. They were blowing away Real Madrid and Cody was strong.

“He had some great moments with the ball at his feet, playing the ball to the side and moving well. Cody also had a number of recovery moments after losing the ball, where he won the ball back and looked very sharp.

“But that was also the case against Newcastle United, when he scored his first goal, and in the derby against Everton. You can see that he quickly adapts to that level.”

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