Liverpool have pulled off an even better transfer than people think – our view

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The Manchester United manager is ‘very disappointed’ that Liverpool have signed Cody Gakpo.

Jurgen Klopp got his January business off to a flyer by bringing in Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven.

Prior to the Dutch outfit confirming Liverpool’s offer had been accepted on Boxing Day, Manchester United were favourites to sign the Netherlands international.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils had been in ‘advanced talks’ to bring the 23-year-old to Old Trafford [Give Me Sport].

But Liverpool swooped in decisively and won the race, it would seem.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed that Erik ten Hag himself is sad to have missed the player – and that he has gone to such a big Premier League rival.

He told Caught Offside: “It’s crystal clear that, internally, Erik ten Hag wanted the player, and Manchester United started a dialogue on the player’s side to get a full buy-in. Ten Hag wanted to move for Gakpo and is very disappointed that Liverpool signed him.”

This, if true, makes it an even bigger success for the Anfield outfit, a bigger and better transfer than people even think.

Not only have they signed a cracking player for £37 million, one who lit up the World Cup in Qatar at times, but in doing so they have also irked their greatest rivals.

Well, the manager of their greatest rivals, anyway.

Jacobs added that despite negotiations, Manchester United ‘didn’t do much’ in their pursuit of Gakpo and if the Dutch boss is frustrated, it’s probably with his own club rather than Liverpool.

Either way, Klopp signing Gakpo is a much bigger success if it has angered anybody at the Theatre of Dreams which, according to Jacobs, it certainly has.