Manchester United transfer target Cody Gakpo has revealed that he believed he would join the Red Devils this summer.

The Lowdown: Gakpo stays at PSV

The PSV Eindhoven star was constantly linked with a move away from the Dutch giants throughout the summer, with a host of Premier League clubs showing an interest, namely Leeds and the Red Devils.

Erik ten Hag clearly saw him as a strong option to come in and bolster United's attacking threat, having scored 49 goals in 144 appearances for the boss' top rivals in the Eredivisie.

In the end, Gakpo ended up remaining at his current club, potentially moving on in January or next summer instead.

The Latest: Winger explains United interest

Speaking to PSV's YouTube channel [via Sport Witness], the 23-year-old said that a move to Old Trafford looked on the cards at one point:

"Manchester United had reported at the beginning of the transfer window. We were waiting for that a bit. The signals became more and more positive and at a certain point I thought it might fall in that direction.

"That option faded a bit and completely last week. We worked the whole window towards it. Until last week, I thought I would go to Man Utd. In the last week I looked at all options. In the end PSV came up with a good offer and that turned out to be the right choice for me."

The Verdict: One that got away

Gakpo is certainly a hugely exciting young player - he has been hailed as 'sensational' this season by Dutch football journalist Michael Bell - so United missing out on him is a shame.

The hope is that Antony ends up being every bit as good, however, with the former Ajax man sealing a big money move to the Red Devils and seemingly seen as a better option than Gakpo by Ten Hag.

Only time will tell if that is the case, although the fact that the Brazilian has only scored 18 goals in 57 Eredivisie appearances, compared to the Dutchman's 33 in 96 - a better strike rate - means that the Brazilian may have some doubters to silence.