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Manchester United look set to fail in their pursuit of FC Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho according to Sky Sports. Despite the Premier League club's interest, Coutinho will not join the Red Devils out of respect to his former club Liverpool. The report also states that Paris Saint-Germain have begun discussions with the Brazilian's representatives.

Coutinho is a very good footballer, but United may have dodged a bullet on this one. Here are two reasons why the Old Trafford outfit should be happy about this reported transfer snub...

Where would he actually fit into the team?

Whilst Coutinho can play in attacking midfield, he is at his best on the left flank. During his most productive year at Liverpool, grabbing 13 goals and seven assists, that was where he predominantly played, and it is in that position he has mainly been used since joining Barcelona.

However, United already have Anthony Martial, who is still just 23 years of age. Ed Woodward and co have already shown a reluctance to let the Frenchman go, refusing West Ham's offer a swap deal with Issa Diop, so what would be the point in bringing in a player who could effectively take his place? With Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard all playing there last season too, United aren't exactly short on backup either.

There's the alternative of playing Coutinho centrally, something he's more than capable of doing. But how is that actually possible while retaining the functionality of the starting XI? Paul Pogba has shown time and again through ill-disciplined displays that he needs to be the roaming element in midfield, so assuming United get their wish of keeping the Frenchman, how can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set up an engine room that includes both without leaving his defence glaringly exposed?

You can point to David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, but this United team are no Manchester City, and Nemanja Matic is no Fernandinho.

Another selfish superstar

As a player, Coutinho was fantastic for Liverpool, but towards the end of his time at Anfield, he showed a much more selfish side as he pushed for a move. The former Inter Milan man did not play any games for the Reds in both the summer transfer window of 2017 and the winter one in 2018 and slacked off in training in an effort to force a departure.

Who's to say that he would not force through a move again in a few seasons after an upturn of form, or if the move to United doesn't pan out? Aged 27, he could still have just enough time in his career for another switch of clubs, and he's already shown the measures he's willing to take for that to happen.

Perhaps in another era of United's history this would be a risk worth taking. But do United really need another superstar whose loyalties can be brought into question? Martial wanted to leave last summer, according to his agent, Romelu Lukaku has been batting his eyelashes at Inter Milan's Antonio Conte,  Pogba's talking about a new challenge, and David De Gea's refusing to sign a new contract.

Even if some of these players do leave Old Trafford before the end of the transfer window, surely United have experienced more than their fair share of selfish superstars for the time being.