Manchester United would suit ‘direct’ Cody Gakpo and Frenkie de Jong would give them ‘something extra’ compared to Christian Eriksen and Casemiro

Former Netherlands and Manchester United star Jaap Stam believes the Red Devils would be a good fit for Cody Gakpo. 

The Oranje forward has emerged as one of the 2022 World Cup’s standout players, scoring in all three group games as Louis van Gaal’s side progressed to the Round of 16. 

It is no secret United were interested in Gakpo over the summer, with manager Erik ten Hag thought to be a big admirer of the PSV Eindhoven winger from his time at Ajax. 

Now, the Red Devils are expected to reignite their interest in the 23-year-old sensation in January. 

Stam – who played for PSV, United and the Netherlands during an illustrious career – insists there will be competition for Gakpo’s signature when the action is finished in Qatar. 

Speaking to talkSPORT.com via BoyleSports Football Betting, Stam said: “United is interested, from what we read as well. But there are maybe other teams. Especially now that he is doing so well at the World Cup.

“I can’t imagine other teams not looking at him. For me, United would be a good club for him because the manager knows him. 

“How they’re playing, it’s quite familiar for him. Of course, there is competition, but as a young player with the quality he has, you need competition. 

“In the Netherlands, you can see he has confidence. He’s one of the few players playing with a lot of confidence in the national team right now.

“It’s a different system to what he plays in at PSV, but he’s still performing well as one of the two strikers up top. They’re always looking for him. 

“The thing I like about him is he is quite direct in his approach. When he gets it, he is always looking to go forward, to take players on, to put players in positions so they can score. 

“But he also uses his mind and his brain, so if it’s not possible, then he’s not doing it. He is also not afraid to take players on, even when he’s not succeeding, he will do it again and that is what you need in a team if you want to go forward.”

There has always been a rich Dutch influence at United, from Ruud van Nistelrooy to Stam himself and current Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal. 

The arrival of Ten Hag from Ajax over the summer resulted in a wave of Dutch players being linked with the Red Devils – and none more so than Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. 

A long, complicated saga ultimately resulted in the Netherlands midfielder staying at the Camp Nou – and now he is showing United what they are missing at the World Cup. 

According to Stam, the 25-year-old former Ajax star would be the missing piece of Ten Hag’s puzzle at Old Trafford. 

“I think De Jong would give something extra to United. I still think so,” Stam added. 

“Casemiro has been doing well, but Frenkie would give something extra to the team, especially with the way the manager wants to play and what we’ve seen from him.

“I think he is very dynamic in his way of playing, he is very good on the ball, he can dribble, he can get past players in midfield. That makes it more difficult for the opposition to press United.

“If the opposition is playing very aggressively against United, playing very high up the pitch, they can make it difficult. With Frenkie, if you have him, they want to press him and he can get past it, so he can put players in positions to attack.

“Right now, they don’t have a player who can do that. Casemiro is very good, very solid in his passing, but he’s not a dribbler on the ball. 

“[Christian] Eriksen can do that, but he doesn’t have the pace that Frenkie has. So I think he would be a welcome addition to the team. He would help them to that next level.”