Man Utd urged to sign ‘De Gea replacement’ after Champions League heroics

Suraj Radia

• 13 Oct 2022 20:34 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United scouts were reportedly in the stands during Porto’s Champions League win over Leverkusen, with one player in particular impressing spectators with a historic performance.

The Portuguese side ran out 3-0 winners largely thanks to their goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who stole the show with an all-round performance that showcased why United have allegedly eyed up the 23-year-old as a potential long-term replacement for David de Gea.

Porto winger Galeno netted a sixth-minute opener after a pinpoint long-ball from Costa, who kept out a spot-kick from Kerem Demirbay ten minutes later to become the first goalkeeper in Champions League history to assist a goal and save a penalty in the same game.

Costa showcased his ability on the ball with 54 touches during the game and also completed 17 long passes as well as making four saves to keep a clean sheet.

The Portuguese international’s performance led United fans on social media to the same conclusion, with Costa being described as ‘the perfect choice’ to succeed De Gea and calling on the club to secure his signing.

Costa is believed to have a £51 million release clause in his contract, which would make him the third-most expensive goalkeeper of all-time if a team activated it next year.

With Costa set to add to his seven caps at the upcoming World Cup and teams such as Chelsea and Newcastle also monitoring him, United may need to act quickly to beat their rivals to signing their potential future number one.

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Fans call on United to sign ‘priority’ target

Costa found himself trending on Twitter shortly after his display, with United fans making up the majority of the posts as one labelled him a ‘must buy’.

Supporters believe Costa’s ability on the ball could solve their goalkeeping issues for the next decade as well as confirming the end of De Gea’s time at United.

De Gea is into the last year of his contract at Old Trafford, although the club have an option to extend for a further season, but there is a belief that manager Erik ten Hag is unconvinced over offering him a new deal.

With De Gea into his thirties and one of the highest earners at the club, United have already considered future replacements and, if Costa wasn’t at the top of that list before, he certainly would be now in the eyes of the fans.