Manchester United News: Ryan Giggs insists that players wanting to leave Old Trafford is 'nothing new' after Romelu Lukaku exit
What's the story?
Following Romelu Lukaku's transfer to Inter Milan on deadline day, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has insisted that the departure of big players from Old Trafford is "nothing new" and believes it is only currently highlighted because of the crisis that the club are undergoing.
In case you didn't know...
Lukaku completed his €80 million (£74 million) move to Inter Milan on Thursday, leaving the Red Devils with a depleted attacking line this season.
The transfer puts an end to a long and tedious saga as the Belgium international was keen on leaving Manchester United after realising he will not be given regular starts by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the new campaign.
The 26-year-old striker netted 42 goals in 96 games for the Red Devils but was often overlooked in favour of Marcus Rashford, who Solskjaer prefers in the central role upfront.
Lukaku also gained significant interest from Juventus, who were keen on a swap involving Paulo Dybala. But the Belgian international ultimately linked up with Antonio Conte at the San Siro.
The heart of the matter
Speaking of the transfer, Giggs said,
"With Lukaku, with the way Ole has looked to play, with Anthony Martial upfront, with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood and he has probably looked at it and gone 'maybe I am not going to get a lot of games out of him'.
"He is not the sort of player who can come in and out. He is either a player who starts and plays all the games, and he will score goals, but he is not a player to come in and out. I think Ole has looked at that and probably Lukaku has looked at that."
The former United star added,
"But over the years players have wanted to leave, I don’t think it is anything new. It is more highlighted now because United aren't doing as well as they did 10-15 years ago."
What's next?
While Manchester United will kick off their Premier League campaign with a game against Chelsea on Sunday, Inter Milan are scheduled to face Valencia in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.