Manchester United once again had a scout in Portugal this week, this time watching Porto’s 3-2 win over Famalicão in the second leg of their meeting in the Taca de Portugal.
That’s according to O Jogo, who say Manchester United were one of six teams to send scouts to watch the clash between the two sides.
They ended up watching a fascinating affair that saw the away side take the lead and Porto level not long after before Ivan Jaime took it to extra time in the 75th minute.
Otávio then settled the time in the 121st minute with a superb strike into the top corner from outside the box before Evanilson added another three minutes later to make it a more comprehensive victory for the home side.
Now, O Jogo make no mention of who Manchester United were there to watch, although the obvious answer is Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
He’s been a target for a while, particularly with United keen to find a long-term replacement for David de Gea sooner rather than later.
Indeed, a report last week was one of several in recent weeks stating they had a scout at the game, with it later explained that Costa’s agent had met Porto to discuss a potential transfer in the summer.
If they were back to watch him again last night, they’ll have been left disappointed, though, as the goalkeeper was left sat on the bench in favour of Cláudio Ramos.
Otávio is the player they likely took note of then, thanks to his superb strike, but it’s hard to see a 28-year-old attacking midfielder, who has only got five goals to his name in all competitions this season, being at the top of Manchester United’s wish list.
Instead, this may been a wasted trip to see Costa on this occasion, who, like the scout sent to watch him, had to watch from the stands.
