United were linked with the player in the summer too. The Daily Mail claimed that Mourinho was ready to bid £75m for the winger.
Manchester United failed to flex their muscles in the summer transfer window as Jose Mourinho managed to add just three players to his squad. However, none of them has played any significant role in the current campaign so far.
Mourinho’s men have made an underwhelming start to the 2018/19 Premier League season with three wins and two losses from their first four games. While United’s problems have largely been their sandcastle defence, the attackers haven’t set the ball rolling either.
Romelu Lukaku continues to be United’s only reliable source of goals and the overdependence on the big Belgian has cost Mourinho dearly.
Alexis Sanchez is far from the player the United fans would have expected when the club signed him in January, while the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata continue to be squad players.
United’s right-wing options are Juan Mata, who is a No.10 but finds himself on the wing due to heavy competition, and Jesse Lingard, who is more of a threat through the middle. That leaves Mourinho with Sanchez, Rashford and Martial – all of them who are comfortable operating from the left.
So, a right-winger is so essential for Mourinho once the transfer window reopens. Douglas Costa would perfectly fit the bill at Man United. Costa has been impressive under Max Allegri at Juventus and is a vital member of the club’s attacking force.
However, he has not been able to nail down a starting position in the team and the addition of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has further pulled him down in the pecking order.
Looking at the current scheme of things, Mourinho should test Juventus’ resolve with an audacious offer for Costa in January. The Brazilian is a fantastic dribbler, capable of providing endless nightmares to defenders and would add genuine pace and quality to United’s attack.
The Brazilian’s explosive pace, agility, vision and ability to carve open the opposition would make him such an exciting signing for Mourinho, who clearly lacks a genuine right winger in his ranks. Also, Costa is well known for his ability to beat the opposition in one-vs-one situations – the type of winger Mourinho usually prefers to have.
There is no doubt if Costa would be an ambitious signing for United. He would offer remarkable quality down the right wing and add depth to the attack. The ex-Shakhtar forward is a talented player and United should make every effort to land the 27-year-old in January.