Maurizio Sarri has described Douglas Costa’s cameo performance as ‘extraordinary’ after the reported Newcastle United target inspired Juventus’s 4-0 thrashing of Lecce over the weekend, speaking to the club’s official website.
Adama Traore must know exactly how this Brazil international is feeling.
Like the Wolverhampton Wanderers dynamo, Costa finds himself stuck on the bench more often than he would like.
That is the price he has to pay for a remarkable burst of pace and explosive power which makes him about as impactful as an ‘impact sub’ can possibly be.
Juventus had struggled to break down a relegation-threatened Lecce side but everything changed when Sarri brought Costa into the game just before the hour.
A minute after emerging from the dugout, the former Bayern Munich winger put the opener on a plate for Cristiano Ronaldo before producing a dazzling cameo performance as a transformed Juventus side racked up the goals late on.
“Douglas Costa on the bench is an extraordinary weapon, especially when the opposing teams are tired,” former Chelsea boss Sarri said after the game.
TuttoJuve claimed back in May that Newcastle were planning a remarkable £80 million triple-swoop of the Serie A champions, with Costa, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot all lined up.
Now, given that Costa has started just six league matches all season long, the man himself might be tempted to consider his future.
But it’s fair to say Sarri will not want to lose his ‘extraordinary weapon’ any time soon.
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