Manchester United ‘spies’ paid a visit to the Champions League clash between Porto and Atletico Madrid last night, according to reports from Portugal.
Newspaper O Jogo says the Red Devils were one of many clubs who sent emissaries for the decisive match of Group B, which decided the second spot for the knock-out stage.
Even though Porto knew they’d be the underdogs, they probably didn’t expect such a tough defeat, with the Colchoneros beating them 3-1 at the Estádio do Dragão.
With basically no chance for the home side, it’s fair to say there was not a lot of potential for Manchester United to see in the Dragons’ squad. The only ones considered to have even reasonable performances were Pepe, João Mário, Marko Grujic, Vitinha and Luis Diaz.
Now in case the Red Devils wanted to watch how some Atletico Madrid players would do in a tough Champions League clash away from home, then there was plenty to see. Jan Oblak, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Rodrigo de Paul and Antoine Griezmann all did great at the Dragão.
Manchester United have, of course, been linked to Kieran Trippier in the past few months, but due to a shoulder injury, the fullback didn’t take part in the game. The Premier League side knew that, and still had officials in the north of Portugal watching other talents on Tuesday night.