Manchester United opinion: Should the Red Devils sign Douglas Costa?

Football Italia and Metro have reported that Manchester United and PSG are ready to battle for Juventus star Douglas Costa. The Brazilian hasn’t had his best season so far, with off-field issues playing a major part in that, including car crash and suspensions.

Not only that, the 28-year-old has just nine starts to his name this season, with a large majority of his appearances coming off the bench. The addition of Cristiano Ronaldo has changed things at Juventus and it looks like it has changed things for Douglas Costa.

But for Manchester United, this is a race that they need not win and instead, one they should let PSG have. The Red Devils have been in exceptional form of late and while losses to Wolves and Arsenal are still on the radar, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had some career as a manager for Manchester United.

A former Old Trafford fan favourite, Solskjaer has made a tremendous impact and has just three losses to his name since taking over from Jose Mourinho.

The likes of Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and even Romelu Lukaku have all flourished. This further emphasises why they do not need to move for Douglas Costa, especially given the fact that the Red Devils have an army of wingers.

While Rashford is a centre-forward, the Mancunian’s pace and agility make him a versatile man capable of playing out wide as well.

When it comes down to just raw statistics, given that Douglas Costa has started less than any of Manchester United’s stars, the Brazilian should have the upper hand. However, that isn’t the case and he has averaged 1.3 shots per game, 1.2 key passes per game and 2 dribbles per game.

The Brazilian has been outdone by Pogba and Rashford when it comes to shots per game (3.2), Pogba, Martial and Ashley Young when it comes to key passes per game (1.5). Yet none has managed to outdo Costa when it comes to dribbles per game.

That is the one offensive stat that the former Bayern Munich man has done well in, but it is still not enough to warrant a move.

Read more Manchester United news, click here: Manchester United latest news

Conclusion

A little over two months ago, ESPN reported that Juventus had offered Manchester United Douglas Costa for Paul Pogba, and it was a move that didn’t make sense for the Red Devils then.

Two months on and it is still a move that doesn’t help Manchester United in anyway. They must avoid signing Douglas Costa at all costs.