Both Gary Neville and Paul Scholes have thrown their support behind Man Utd’s decision to sell Romelu Lukaku this summer.
As noted by BBC Sport, the Belgian international is believed to have joined the Italian giants in a deal worth up to £74m, with the move being officially announced by both clubs shortly before Thursday’s deadline in England.
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After scoring just 15 goals in 45 appearances for the Red Devils last season, the 26-year-old faced question marks over his role in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side moving forward and ultimately he has been sold with the Norwegian tactician looking at others to provide goals this year and beyond.
While some may well question the decision, especially given United haven’t brought in a replacement and so have lost that dynamic in attack of having a physical presence and poacher in the box, Neville and Scholes are convinced that Solskjaer has made the right decision by axing the Inter star.
“My view on Romelu Lukaku is that if Manchester United are trying to set a new tone and culture through the club, which Ole is trying to do, any lack of professionalism has got to be stamped upon,” Neville told ESPN.
“He didn’t want to be here anyway. “I think he is a really good player — he’ll score a lot of goals and do well at Inter Milan.
“But the idea of a player being overweight for me is unforgivable. You can play badly, miss shots on goal, hit a bad cross or give goals away as they’re mistakes in football but you can’t be overweight.
“We were never overweight, not fit or not prepared. How can you be overweight!?
“There’s no excuse. Romelu Lukaku has admitted himself that he was overweight so he has removed all doubt.”
Scholes also weighed in on the matter and raised doubts over Lukaku’s ability to fit into Solskjaer’s system and preferred style of play, with the United boss seemingly trying to build a new culture and restore former principles from his time as a player at the club.
“I don’t think he was suitable for Solskjaer,” he is quoted as saying by Tuttomercatoweb. “Ole wants someone with a little energy, a bit of speed, someone who works hard and scores goals.”
With Lukaku no longer at his disposal, Solskjaer will now look to the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James, Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard to provide the creativity and goal threat in the final third.
Time will tell whether that’s too big a gamble to take, but ultimately it’s now too late for them to add any new faces as they’ll have to wait until January.
