Cody Gakpo has struggled to find form in the Premier League since choosing Liverpool over Manchester United - and ex-United man Ruud van Nistelrooy has made some astonishing comments on Gakpo's decision to move to Anfield.
Van Nistelrooy played for United for five years in the 2000s, scoring 150 goals for the club and winning a Premier League title in 2002-03.
The Dutchman was asked this week for comment on his countryman Cody Gakpo, who has struggled at Anfield since joining Liverpool earlier in January.
Gakpo has yet to score for Liverpool, after setting the world alight during the winter World Cup in Qatar last year.
Van Nistelrooy claimed that he had attempted to convince Gakpo to move to Old Trafford instead of Anfield, but Gakpo had been swung by van Dijk. Van Nistelrooy went on to make some huge claims about the stature of the two respective clubs, in comments that are sure to ruffle the feathers of Liverpool fans.
Ruud van Nistelrooy Cody Gakpo
Cody Gakpo has not settled in as quickly as initially imagined at Liverpool, with the Dutchman failing to score in his first five appearances.
Gakpo was originally heavily linked with Manchester United, before making a surprise move to arch-rivals Liverpool instead - and Ruud van Nistelrooy, for one, was not impressed by his decision.
Van Nistelrooy revealed his previous hope that Gakpo would make the move to Old Trafford, before making some remarkable comments suggesting that he sees United as "ten times" bigger than their fiercest rivals:
Gakpo's dream move was Manchester United, he was in contact with Ten Hag since last August. 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.
But United did not make a bid in January, so I advised him to wait 'til the summer. Something happened and he refused my advice and listened to Virgil [Van Dijk] who tempted him to join his team. He told me he wanted to move abroad in January.
The fact is Liverpool is ten times smaller than Manchester United, in every department. I feel lucky that I played for the two biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Gakpo would have been scoring goals for United already, they have great midfielders who create many chances like Fernandes, Casemiro, and even Eriksen.
No doubt van Nistelrooy's claim about the stature of Manchester United is influenced by the rivalry between the two teams, with van Nistelrooy heavily inclined to favour United given his history with the team.
It is hard to argue, however, with his comments on the form of the two teams in the current season. Ahead of Saturday's Premier League games, United sat in 4th, ten points ahead of Liverpool in 10th the Premier League table.
SEE ALSO: Jackie Tyrrell Confident Kilkenny Won't Suffer Same Fate As Manchester United
