Manchester United transfer news: Matteo Darmian leaves to join Parma on four-year deal

Former Torino defender returns to Italy after being exiled from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans at Old trafford

Matteo Darmian has left Manchester United to return to Italy after signing a four-year deal with Parma.

The move ends the Italy international’s four-year stay at Old Trafford, in which he made 92 appearances in an injury-hit spell that saw him fail to lock-down a regular place in the starting XI.

The 29-year-old had not played for United in a competitive fixture since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea last April, and although he featured on their pre-season tour against Inter Milan, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had not included him in his Premier League plans after making it clear he was free to leave.

United confirmed the move on Monday morning which sees Darmian return to Serie A, having left Torino in 2015 to move to the Premier League.

“Everyone at Manchester United would like to thank Matteo for his service and wish him all the best for the future,” United’s statement added.

The defender – who was deployed both on the right and left of the defence during his time at United – played under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer, only scored one goal in his time with the club, which came in the form of his memorable volley in a 2-0 home victory over Crystal Palace in 2016.

Parma issued a short statement to confirm his arrival though any fee has not been announced. United paid Torino £12.7m for Darmian, but his failure to feature regularly last season in making just seven appearances convinced Solskjer that he was surplus to requirements given that his contract was due to expire next summer.

Darmian is the latest United player to move to Italy, with Chris Smalling joining Roma on loan at the weekend and both Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku joining Inter Milan.