Douglas Costa (Getty Images)
According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are considering a move for Juventus star Douglas Costa if they fail to land their top target Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
The report suggests that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to improve his options in the wide areas and has targeted Costa. And Juventus also want the Brazilian to leave in the summer and his agents have held talks to materialize a move to England.
Born in Brazil, Costa rose through the ranks of Gremio’s youth system before joining Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2010. He came to prominence during his time in Ukraine, racking up 38 goals and 40 assists in 202 appearances for the club.
He then joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2015 and helped the Bavarians lift two league titles and 1 German Cup.
However, he was sent to Juventus on loan initially in 2017 before making the move permanent a year later. He has won three Serie A titles with the Italian giants. But he hasn’t been at his best in the last two campaigns, spending most of the time on the sidelines due to injury. He has also fallen down the pecking order at Juventus.
Solskjaer’s youthful squad managed to finish third in the league standings despite starting the season on a poor note. They also managed to get to the semifinals of three different competitions but they are in need of reinforcements to improve the depth in the squad.
At the moment, they have a plethora of attacking talents in the squad. Marcus Rashford has been brilliant on the left side of the attack with the Englishman enjoying one of his most productive campaigns, scoring 22 goals across all competitions.
On the other side of the attack, Mason Greenwood has been in sensational form and has enjoyed his breakthrough season with 17 goals. Moreover, they also have Daniel James, who is capable of doing well with experience.
Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard are also available at the manager’s disposal. They could be used whenever required on any wing. Thus, it would not be ideal to make a move for Costa in the summer.
The Brazilian’s recent history with injuries should be a major concern which United should look into. He has missed more than half of the games in the last two seasons and has seen his game hit the low.
Signing him would also just make United waste their resources. Moreover, he is already 29 and wouldn’t have much to offer in the future. Thus, making a move for Costa doesn’t seem to be the right option for the Red Devils.
If Solskjaer needs to bring in a winger, he should attempt to lure Sancho to Old Trafford as the youngster has a lot to offer in the future. Costa hasn’t been at his best since his issues with injuries and would be a short-term solution at best. Thus, avoiding a move for the former Bayern Munich would be a wise decision by the club.
