The Philippe Coutinho to Manchester United rumours started doing the rounds on social media yesterday.

No reliable sources confirmed the news that the Red Devils wanted the Brazilian, but a report from Caught Offside of a proposed £100m deal somehow got everyone talking.

Coutinho has struggled for game time at Barcelona this season and United have been known to splash the cash on attacking players in the past.

Also, the likes of Real Madrid and PSG would be out of the race to sign the talented South American star, adding more fuel to the fire.

However, even looking at Coutinho's name next to that of United looks odd and it seems almost impossible that a deal between the two parties could ever be concluded.

And Manchester Evening News have decided to publish a report detailing exactly why the transfer is never likely to happen.

Firstly, Coutinho operates in an area where United are pretty heavily stocked, with Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial already two options on the left-wing.

Even in a more deeper role, Paul Pogba would be firmly ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order.

MEN stress that Ole Gunner Solskjaer is aware that if he is to sign, he must reinforce the defence rather making a luxury buy.

Then there are the Liverpool links, with it already public knowledge that the Reds would receive some of the transfer fee if Barca were to sell.

Would United want to fund Liverpool's title challenge? No.

And lastly, MEN point out that Barca are not going to offload a £142m purchase after just a year.

While Coutinho is struggling for form right now, he is still one of the prized assets at the club and will be given a lot of time to prove his worth.

It really was a bizarre rumour and one that has zero chance of coming to fruition, in January at least.