Manchester United refused Costa trial

A proposed trial at Manchester United for Douglas Costa will not go ahead according to reports today.

Manchester United had been keen to take a closer look at the 18-year-old Brazilian before parting with the £18m it will take to secure his services.

But today his club, Gremio, have rejected the idea, insisting the attacking midfielder, dubbed 'the new Ronaldinho' is too good to undertake such a proposal.

"We have said to them [Manchester United] that this will not happen," said Gremio's president, Duda Kroeff. "Douglas is not at the stage where he would go through such a situation."

Alex Ferguson is desperate to bolster his attacking options with the departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, and has earmarked the Brazilian youngster as a potential addition to his squad.