Van Dijk reveals monumental Man Utd signing error as Mourinho chose £30m man over Liverpool rock

Virgil van Dijk confirmed to an old Southampton teammate that he could have joined Manchester United back in the summer of 2017 only for then Old Trafford boss Jose Mourinho to move for an alternative option instead.

United have made some questionable decisions in the transfer market over the years and it appears they could well have made a monumental error by not signing Van Dijk when they had the chance.

The Red Devils were in the market for new defensive recruits back in the summer of 2017, with Jose Mourinho wanting to strengthen a back line that struggled the previous campaign as United finished sixth in the Premier League.

Among a number of names linked with a switch to Old Trafford was Van Dijk, who had been outstanding through two seasons for the Saints.

However, the move never materialised and Mourinho decided to sign Victor Lindelof for a fee in the region of £30m from Benfica instead.

And while it was thought that the rumours over Van Dijk were purely just that, Charlie Austin, who was Van Dijk’s teammate at Southampton, revealed just how close the switch was to actually happening.

“I remember the back end of his Southampton career we were on the bench together at Chelsea away,” Austin told talkSPORT. “I sat there and 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 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.”

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Lindelof in line for extended United stay

Van Dijk ended up joining Liverpool the following January for £85m and has gone on to become one of the world’s best central defenders, even if his levels have dropped just slightly over the last couple of campaigns.

As for Lindelof, the Swede has proved to be a solid, if unspectacular signing for United. Indeed, he has played 246 games across all competitions, despite not always being first choice and looks set to have his one-year contract option extended soon.

However, it’s a case of what might have been for United as Erik ten Hag is once again being tipped to sign another centre-back in January due to injury and consistency issues for Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

United are back in action after the international break when they take on Everton at Goodison Park on November 26, while Van Dijk’s Liverpool head to Manchester City for a top-of-the-table clash a day earlier.

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