Manchester United finally got themselves out a of a rut by beating Burnley 1-0 on Saturday, with a sublime goal from captain Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder continues to be a key player for the Red Devils and that’s been the case since he arrived at the club from Sporting.
Fernandes was the latest in a line of talented players to move from Portuguese football to Old Trafford, following the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson.
To this day, Manchester United continue to scout Portuguese football, and their transfer spies are often in attendance at matches the big three – Sporting, Porto and Benfica – are involved in.
That was the case again on Saturday, with A Bola reporting the club had a scout watch Porto against Gil Vicente.
Porto won the match 2-1, with Ivan Jaime and Eustaquio scoring their goals.
A Bola ratings have goalkeeper Diogo Costa and left-back Wendell as the best Porto performers, with both getting 8/10.
Manchester United were heavily linked with Costa before they signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan, but given that purchase it’s almost certain they’ve moved on from the idea.
Whilst there’s a shortage of left-backs at United this season, due to injuries, it’s unlikely 30-year-old Wendell would be a target.
Likelier is striker Mehdi Taremi.
He turned 31-years-of-age in July but would be a very interesting option of a back-up striker for next season, especially given that his contract expires in June.
A move to AC Milan collapsed in the summer because the Rossoneri offered wages way below Taremi’s market value. He wasn’t desperate for a way out of Porto, and decided to stay where he is for the season.
Last season, Taremi played 51 matches, scoring an impressive 31 goals and adding 14 assists.
There’s no suggestion of any specific transfer interest at this stage, and scouting Porto is a regular theme for Manchester United. A Bola say the officials present were spying ahead of the January market, but they really have no way of knowing it’s winter market specific.
Also in attendance at the match were officials from West Ham United, Leicester City, Stoke City, Sevilla and Juventus.
