Romelu Lukaku Talks Manchester United Exit, Inter Milan's Serie A Title Chances

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed he knew for some time he would leave Manchester United in the summer.

The Belgian swapped the Premier League for Serie A in an €80 million (£74 million) move in the summer.

He told Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football-Italia): "Once I learned that [Ole Gunnar] Solsjkaer planned to put me on the wing, then I knew my time at Manchester United was over."

Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho as manager at Old Trafford in December.

In January, he deployed Lukaku on the right wing when United beat Arsenal 3-1 in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The centre-forward did well that day and contributed two assists, but he failed to replicate that success when Solskjaer deployed him there on other occasions in the campaign.

The 26-year-old left United having returned 42 goals and 13 assists in 96 matches for the Red Devils.

He has enjoyed a strong start to life in Italy, notching nine goals in 12 Serie A appearances.

The forward carried that momentum into the international break, when he added another goal to his remarkable tally for Belgium:

At Inter, Lukaku has formed an impressive partnership with fellow forward Lautaro Martinez:

He's not prepared to discuss winning the Scudetto, though: "Better to be silent [on talk of the title]. Many think they can beat Juve, but in fact, no one has done it for eight years. We have to take one game at a time."

Juventus sit one point ahead of Inter after 12 matches as they pursue their ninth consecutive Serie A title.

Napoli have run them close in recent years, but even accruing 91 points in the 2017-18 campaign was not enough.

At Inter, Lukaku is working under former Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte. "Conte is unique," he said. "We know what to do in every situation. He and [Jose] Mourinho are the two best coaches of my career."

The Italian certainly has unique methods:

"

Antonio Conte is advising Inter's players on their sex lives  pic.twitter.com/sgi3CL7xe8

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 22, 2019"

Conte won the first three of Juve's eight consecutive titles, and he also won the Premier League with Chelsea at the first time of asking in the 2016-17 season.

Inter are still the underdogs—they've not finished higher than fourth during Juve's run of title wins—but with Conte in charge and Lukaku consistently finding the back of the net, it's their best chance in years.