Manchester United plot raid for a surprise Jadon Sancho alternative

Manchester United have a make or break transfer window ahead of them.

Some were standing with a deluded face, some were sitting on the deck in utter dismay, and some were lying on the ground with their faces covered — these were the general outcomes of the 210 minutes of scorching football Manchester United had played under the floodlights of the RheinEnergieStadion in Köln, Germany.

Despite having 11 more shots and 4 more on target than the counterparts, Manchester United left empty-handed in the wake of the full-time whistle, facing a narrow 2-1 defeat to the Spanish side, namely Sevilla, in a game that saw United creating more obvious chances with no conclusive statement.

Being a one-legged semi-final, it was initially expected that the game would not be as straightforward as it could have been on a normal day, and everything went as per United devotees all around the globe would want it to go but the final result of the match.

More from Red Devil Armada

One of the most striking things from United’s perspective happened at the later stages of the game when the Mancunian team’s head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went on to make his first substitution in the 87th-minute, signifying Solskjaer’s lack of faith in the benchwarmers — and obviously, it was too late for the Red Devils.

Solskjaer’s mistrust in his subs demonstrates two things: Manchester United desperately need to increase their bench strength by making some new acquisitions in the summer transfer window, and there are more than one or two areas that need to be strengthened this summer should they want to close the gaps between Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League next season.

As things currently stand, United supposedly might have lost control on the Jadon Sancho deal, with United chief Ed Woodward reportedly showcasing his hesitation in paying Dortmund’s asking price for Sancho. But Solskjaer, on the other hand, is looking to sign a winger, especially a right-winger, as a part of his team’s further development.

While talking about the alternatives, Sky Sports Italia’s transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio (via Football Italia) have covered the latest on this matter, claiming that Manchester United, despite having their own concerns about the player’s fitness issues, are considering bidding for Juventus winger Douglas Costa.

Signed for €46m in 2017 from German giants Bayern Munich, Douglas Costa has had spent a rigid time in Italy, having been sidelined for most of the time with various injuries, including a tear in the abductor’s muscle, biceps femoris muscle injury, hamstring Injury, calf Injury, ankle Injury, thigh Problems, and many more, as per transfermarkt.com. To sum up the chaos, it would not be too harsh to say that he is an injury-prone player.

Despite the fact that he only racked up only three goals and four assists from 29 appearances across all competitions last season, Douglas Costa possesses the ferocious nature in his game that makes him a deadly threat in the oppositions’ box on counter-attacks.

However, as per the reports, Manchester United are just considering the idea of making an offer for the Brazilain, who is thought to be not in the plan of their new head-coach Andrea Pirlo, who replaced Maurizio Sarri at the helm after Juventus’ exit from UEFA Champions League Round of 16 earlier this month.

Pirlo doesn’t want a player like Costa, and Manchester United are in a dire need of a player’s of his ilk, meaning a deal would be struck right away should United go all out for the 29-year-old attacking-minded baller. Though, everything depends on what Manchester United’s plan is for Jadon Sancho, who is still believed to be their top target in this ongoing transfer window.

Next. Man Utd's first signing of the summer seems to have been confirmed. dark

What do you think of Douglas Costa’s potential arrival at Manchester United?