Manchester United opted against signing a player during the January transfer window who would later become a Liverpool icon
Virgil van Dijk celebrates a Liverpool goal
Manchester United opted not to sign a player who would later join Liverpool(Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Manchester United were left with a bitter taste in their mouth after seeing one of their former transfer targets join Liverpool for a record fee. Throughout the last decade, the battle to be English football's most successful club has swung in Liverpool's favour, largely thanks to Virgil van Dijk's commanding presence in defence.
The Dutch defender joined from Southampton in January 2018 for a club-record £75million - then a world-record sum for a defender - and subsequently revolutionised Liverpool's backline. Yet, he could have moved to Old Trafford just months beforehand.
According to his former Southampton teammate Charlie Austin, Van Dijk held discussions with United during the summer of 2017. United, though, eventually opted for Victor Lindelof, a decision that allowed Liverpool the opportunity to swoop in.
"I remember at the back end of his Southampton career, we were sitting on the bench together at Chelsea away," Austin told talkSPORT in 2022. "I said to him, 'Come on Virgil, what's going on, surely Manchester United must have been in for you? They're a massive club in England.'
"He said, 'Do you know what Chaz, in the summer it was between me and Lindelof - and they went for Lindelof.' Nobody knows that. He told me on the bench and I couldn't believe it. I was gobsmacked."
It is a mistake that has gone on to haunt United in ways they could barely have envisaged. Not only has Van Dijk flourished at Anfield, but he is also commonly considered among the best defenders of his era.
Victor Lindelof of Manchester United
Manchester United signed Victor Lindelof in 2017(Image: Ash Donelon, Manchester United via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Meanwhile, Lindelof never quite fulfilled his potential during his eight-year tenure at Old Trafford. The Swedish centre-back remained a consistent fixture in the team but couldn't deliver the leadership and defensive solidity that Van Dijk has given to Liverpool.
Having allowed Van Dijk to slip through their fingers, United subsequently broke the world transfer record for a defender by signing Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019. Yet Maguire did not make up for the club's past mistakes.
His performances in a United shirt have varied, swinging between reliable and catastrophic. The defender has since found his feet and partly restored his previously damaged reputation, although he has struggled to live up to his price tag.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk continues to be a key figure for Liverpool(Image: Dan Istitene, Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Van Dijk, conversely, has cemented his status as one of Liverpool's all-time greats. He was instrumental in the club's 2018/19 Champions League and 2019/20 Premier League victories and became only the third defender in history to claim the PFA Player of the Year award in 2019.
He also came second in the race for the Ballon d'Or in 2019 and has clocked up well over 300 appearances for United's rivals. He was handed the captain's armband in 2023 after Jordan Henderson's exit and guided Liverpool to the title last season.