'Virgil van Dijk explained why Man Utd didn't sign him – the reason left me gobsmacked'

Virgil van Dijk has previously disclosed the reason why Manchester United snubbed him prior to his move to Liverpool. The commanding defender, now 33, was a hot property after impressing at Southampton.

His assured performances in the Premier League, following a £11.5million switch from Celtic, marked him as a player destined for one of the top six clubs. But before Liverpool secured his signing for £75m, United had shown an interest in him.

During the summer transfer window of 2017, United were on the hunt for a new centre-back and had narrowed their choices down to two, with Van Dijk being one of them. However, they chose to pursue the other candidate.

That revelation came from Charlie Austin, who recalled a chat with Van Dijk during their time at Southampton after the Dutchman’s exit had stalled. Speaking on talkSPORT in 2021, Austin recounted: “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 since clocked up over 260 appearances for United in his tenure of more than seven years, although he’s never been a consistent first-choice starter. The Times reported in 2019 that United made another play for Van Dijk prior to his January 2018 £75m transfer to Liverpool.

Even though United submitted a higher sum to the Southampton board, the deal was already beyond their reach, with Van Dijk’s medical completed on Merseyside. Subsequently, United shelled out £80m for Harry Maguire that summer – another high-profile acquisition that hasn’t lived up to expectations at Old Trafford.

Nonetheless, United supporters might find a crumb of comfort in Austin suggesting Van Dijk was never really a possibility for their club. When queried about the likelihood of Van Dijk donning a United jersey, Austin remarked: “I’m not sure, I think he had his heart set on going to Liverpool.”