Manchester United Transfer News: Matteo Darmian Confirms Serie A Return Desire

Matteo Darmian has spoken out about his desire to return to Serie A despite the fact that he's set to stay with Manchester United for the foreseeable future.

In an interview with Libero (h/t Calciomercato.com), the Italy international clarified his foremost desire is to play meaningful minutes and that the most satisfaction he got was at home:

"United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, anyone must deserve the place and I work in light of this.
 
"But of course I'd rather play more, even if it means leaving Manchester; where I dream of going back to is Italy, in Serie A, where I got a lot of satisfaction."

According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Darmian spent much of the summer transfer window waiting for a transfer that never materialised. Rob Dawson of ESPN FC reported manager Jose Mourinho told the former Torino man he wanted him to stay.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Per Luckhurst, the tactician confirmed those reports:

"I don't think he will go. And he cannot have any bad feeling towards us because we opened the door for him in case his desire was to go but it looks like it's not going to end in a transfer.

"And for me is good news that Matteo is staying, he's always an option for us, a reliable player. We know that his performance level is that one, we know he always does a job for the team, right-back, left-back, starting player on the bench, he always does it. He's loved in the group by his human nature, too.”

The 28-year-old has been with the Red Devils since 2015 but has mostly filled the role of depth option, starting just five Premier League matches last year.

He played the full 90 minutes in the recent win over Leicester City, but fans were not convinced:

Most assumed a transfer would go through, and according to Calciomercato, both Juventus and Inter Milan expressed an interest in the player. The Serie A transfer window closed on Friday, however, so Darmian is all but certain to stay in Manchester until at least January.

An exit during the winter seems the most likely outcome, especially if summer arrival Diogo Dalot develops as the Red Devils anticipate. Antonio Valencia is still working his way back from injury, and his absence likely played a key role in Darmian's retention for the time being.