DONE DEAL: Matteo Darmian leaves Manchester United for Parma

What would Manchester United do without Serie A? Years of signing players who aren’t good enough and then repeatedly handing those players lucrative contract extensions left United with a bloated and overpaid squad. But this summer, Serie A has come to the rescue time and again. The latest misfit to make his way to Italy, finally, is Matteo Darmian. The Italian international has today signed for Parma in a deal worth €1.5m. Every euro counts, we suppose.

Darmian had a forgettable time at United. His signing was uninspiring, and while he briefly looked useful in the early days of Louis van Gaal, he spent most of his time in Manchester as something of a forgotten man. He was signed by the wrong manager to play in the wrong system, and he never fit in at United. José Mourinho trusted him, and respected his professionalism, but never rated him highly enough to play him regularly. It’s unclear if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer actually knows who he is.

Still, Darmian is a full international, and had a respectable career in Italy before his ill-fated move to England. Reports have said that he has been keen for some time to secure a move in search of regular football, and now he finally gets his wish. Best of luck to him.