Cody Gakpo has revealed the reason a move to Manchester United collapsed and paved the way for him to join Liverpool instead. Gakpo could easily have been representing his country as a United player after Erik ten Hag had made him a priority transfer target upon his appointment at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag had already raided the Eredivisie and recruited his former Ajax charges Lisandro Martinez and Antony and planned to make Gakpo a key part of his forward line.
A late change of heart, however, saw the deal stall and Gakpo made the decision to stay put, until the winter window, after he scored his first career hat-trick for PSV against FC Volendam shortly before the deadline. And besides, fate guides me a lot and I think my parents guide me a lot in everything I do. Gakpo is returning to Eindhoven, where he spent five years, tonight for the first time since his January move to Merseyside.
But when the game starts I think all those things will fade away and we will be focused on the game and we are going for the win. Slot, meanwhile, admits he has broken with his usual preparation methods by planning for two matches at the same time after naming a weakened squad for the trip to Eindhoven. His Champions League leaders, the only team to win all seven matches, are guaranteed to finish no lower than second and having assessed the potential implications for the last 16 he decided the return to his homeland was a game he could gamble on.
Defender Joe Gomez has also remained at home after returning to training having missed seven matches with a hamstring injury. Slot was asked if he was scared at the prospect of facing the Dutch champions and current Eredivisie leaders without most of his major stars.
