‘Manchester United could have signed Virgil van Dijk six months before Liverpool transfer… but they chose Victor Lindelof instead’, reveals ex-Southampton teammate Charlie Austin

Manchester United had the chance to sign Virgil van Dijk just six months before his move to Liverpool… but opted for Victor Lindelof instead.

That’s according to Van Dijk’s former Southampton teammate Charlie Austin, who dropped the transfer bomb in his debut appearance on the talkSPORT Breakfast show.

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Van Dijk’s knee injury has left a huge hole in the Liverpool team this season, with the Dutchman becoming one of the Reds’ most important players and one of the world’s best centre-backs since his £75million move to Anfield in January 2018.

But Austin has revealed he could have gone to Old Trafford instead, had United followed up on their interest of the former Saints man in previous year.

The Red Devils were reported to be tracking the Dutchman in the summer of 2017, as Jose Mourinho looked to bolster their back line but eventually decided on Benfica defender Lindelof for around £40m.

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Speaking on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast, Austin said: “I remember at the back end of his Southampton career we were on the bench together at Chelsea away, I asked him, ‘come on Virg, what’s going on? Surely Man United must have been in for you?

“He told me, ‘you know what, Chaz, in the summer it was between me and Lindelof, and they signed Lindelof’.

“I was like, ‘you are joking!’

“I don't know if anyone knows that. I couldn't believe it, I was gobsmacked

“There was talk in the summer that he was going to go there, but they’ve gone and taken Lindelof instead.

“At the time, the manager, Mauricio Pellegrino, got everybody on the pitch in pre-season, including Virg, and he told everyone, ‘look lads, Virgil wants to go, the club are not allowing him to go, so he’s not going to play. He’s not going to train with us’.

“I remember, Virg was gobsmacked because there was no heads up from the manager, nothing, he just said, ‘you’re going to train over there with the fitness coach and physio’.

“Ultimately he didn’t move in the summer, two days later the transfer window had shut and Virg was started again on the Saturday.

“He apologised to the lads but we were all like, ‘Virg, we understand, you’re linked with Man United and Liverpool and you wanted to go, that’s fine by us. We were just happy he was still there because of the quality he brought to the team.”

Asked if he would have joined Man United, Austin added: “I’m not sure, I think he had his heart set on Liverpool.”