Ruud van Nistelrooy has dismissed suggestions that Cody Gakpo was distracted by rumours linking him with Manchester United after PSV Eindhoven were beaten by Rangers on Wednesday night.
United are thought to be interested in a move for the Dutch attacker, and a deal for the 23-year-old could prove to be easier to complete after PSV failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.
The Eredivisie side lost 3-2 on aggregate to Scottish giants Rangers - losing 1-0 at home on Wednesday after drawing 2-2 at Ibrox last week. Gakpo was criticised by some people for his performance against Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side. The youngster arguably had PSV’s two best chances of the match but was unable to find the back of the net on either occasion.
ALSO READ: Manchester United get major Cody Gakpo transfer boost
His PSV future was one of the major talking points before the second leg, with a number of clubs - including United - thought to be interested in securing his signature. However, his manager believes that he dealt with the distractions well and gave everything on the pitch for PSV, despite failing to impact the tie.
Asked for his thoughts on the forward's performance in the second leg, Van Nistelrooy said: "I think he fought and he did everything he could. He was a threat. He had some good opportunities in the first half and also one in the second half, but unfortunately he couldn’t score one of those chances. But he was definitely there and did everything he could for the team and the club."
Before the defeat to Rangers, former United star Van Nistelrooy praised Gakpo for the manner in which he has dealt with the speculation surrounding his future. He said on Tuesday: "I think I am very relaxed about the situation.
"There have been rumours about him since the beginning of the season almost eight weeks ago. And we have not seen Cody changing his behaviour up to now.
"There were rumours over the whole period, and I admire that a lot in him. He is working on his development on a daily basis, playing in games and reaching his level.
"He is not distracted, he is focused on the games he has to play and focused on tomorrow’s game with his teammates. For a young guy like him, it is special to see that attitude.’
"It’s obvious [we want him to stay]. As long as he’s a PSV player he’s here. That’s what I’ll focus on and him as well. There’s no if or what ifs. He’s a PSV player until further notice."
READ NEXT:
-
Erik ten Hag's next test will prove how much he has truly changed Manchester United
-
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly completes loan move to Marseille
-
Manchester United discover Carabao Cup opponents after third round draw is made
-
Manchester United can copy Liverpool FC transfer plan to give Erik ten Hag his dream signing
