Matteo Darmian has proven to be a late career success in Italy, winning two titles with Inter Milan after leaving Manchester United.
Just earlier this month, Matteo Darmian featured for the Inter Milan side that beat Arsenal in the Champions League.
Darmian, 34, is still a valuable squad player for the Nerazzuri, who signed him from Parma after Manchester United off-loaded him in 2020. He has rebuilt his career successfully since.
The Italian full-back was signed under Louis van Gaal, but never really convinced Jose Mourinho, and he was half out the door by time Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over.
Matteo Darmian on joining United
During the international break, Matteo Darmian has been looking back on his spell at Manchester United.
Darmian told TMW that upon signing at Old Trafford, he was taken aback by the club giving focus to player social media – on his very first day.
He said: “As soon as I arrived in Manchester, I discovered a completely new world. In Italy, there were few footballers who had social media: in England, on the first day, they immediately told me to open an Instagram profile and that I would have to participate in commercial initiatives.
“What seems normal to us now, wasn’t before. There were so many commercial initiatives, it was a different world compared to what I was used to.
“In the following years, Pogba and Ibrahimovic also arrived, who were super stars on a media level.”
Manchester United got it all wrong
Matteo Darmian’s comments highlight one of the major problems at Manchester United back in 2015, an obsession with non-football matters.
This was all driven by chief executive at the time Ed Woodward, who was obsessed with commercial success, and not bothered by on-pitch matters.
Darmian’s former boss Louis van Gaal would later describe United as a ‘commercial club‘ rather than a Football Club.
But even today, Manchester United still have the approach of a club that is style over substance.
Last week the club announced Ruben Amorim’s arrival with a drawn out interview dropped on a Friday night, drip-feeding images, video, and behind the scenes clips of him meeting fans and players, like a PR campaign rather than something more authentic.
And today every player has a carefully curated social media feed, many run by their agents, while on the pitch, the club lie in 13th place.
For too long United have been focused on what doesn’t matter enough. With Ineos arriving over the past year, and bringing in their new chosen head coach, we can only hope we are on the verge of change.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
