Manchester United News: Lukaku claims he was constantly scapegoated alongside Sanchez and Pogba at Old Trafford

What's the story?

Inter Milan summer recruit Romelu Lukaku has claimed that he, Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez were continually made scapegoats at Manchester United and slammed the club for not doing enough to protect him in the media.

In case you didn't know...

After signing for the Red Devils under Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2017, Lukaku was expected to hit the same heights he did at Everton. But two seasons at Old Trafford saw him slip down the pecking order behind Marcus Rashford.

New manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferred the England international and promptly dropped Lukaku to the bench when he took charge of the club.

The Belgium international tallied an impressive 27 goals in all competitions in his debut season at the club, but managed only 15 in 45 appearances in his second season.

The 26-year-old was the subject of heavy criticism when it came to his all-round play upfront and was even mocked for his weight from different corners.

The striker left United for Inter on a five-year deal this summer and is hoping to secure a regular place in Antonio Conte's squad this season.

The heart of the matter

Lukaku has now launched a scathing attack on his former club, claiming that they constantly used him as a scapegoat when things went south.

Speaking on the LightHarted podcast, he said,

"They have to find somebody. It is Pogba, it is me or it is Alexis. It's the three of us all the time.

"They have got to find somebody to blame. I put my hand up, like, this year I don't think I was the only one playing bad. A lot of people were playing bad but they had to find the culprit.

"If they want to put the blame on me, you know what, f*** it, do what you gotta do. I think the team has so much potential to do some great stuff. There is a lot of talent. But it is not only talent; you really have to build a team."

The Belgian added that United did not do enough to make him feel wanted claiming,

"I think a lot of stuff has been said where I didn't feel protected. A lot of rumours, 'Rom is going to go there, they don't want Rom' and nobody came out and shut it down.

"It was for a good three, four weeks. I'm waiting for someone to come out and shut it down. It didn't happen. I had my conversation, told them it was better to go our separate ways. I just wanted you to say, 'Rom is going to fight for his place', but it never happened for four, five months.

"It was all, 'He's got to go, he doesn't deserve to be there'. Well, okay, then I want to go now. There is fighting for your position, but also being somewhere that people want you to be.

"I told them, 'It’s not good for me to be at a place where I'm not wanted'."

What's next?

Inter will begin their new Serie A campaign with a game against Lecce on Monday. Meanwhile, Manchester United are scheduled to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.