Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly made a last-ditch plea to Romelu Lukaku in order to convince him to remain with the club. The 26-year-old endured a difficult 2018/19 campaign with the Red Devils where he contributed just 15 goals across all competitions and reports have since suggested that he could head through the exit door.
According to The Sun, Solskjaer is aware of the Belgian’s plans to pursue a fresh challenge amid the interest from Inter Milan. However, he has not given hope of keeping the marksman at Old Trafford and reports suggest that he has held a private meeting with the striker, where he has assured him of the opportunity to cement the number nine role.
Lukaku had been the undisputed choice to lead the line under former boss Jose Mourinho but that trend saw a change with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking control. During the backend of the previous campaign, Lukaku found himself dropped to the bench at certain periods with Marcus Rashford leading the line, but the England international likewise found no success in finding the net.
As such, it can be said that the Red Devils don’t have a genuine in-form striker in their ranks and that may be behind the manager’s desperation to keep Lukaku, who remains the best option available to the club. Meanwhile, there are also concerns regarding the position of midfielder Paul Pogba but a report from Standard Sport has suggested that Solskjaer is optimistic of holding onto theFrenchman.
The 26-year-old had drawn plenty of criticism from the fans after downing tools towards the end of the campaign and reports have since associated him with a move to Real Madrid. The 13-time European champions have yet to make a formal approach but the same is likely to happen during the forthcoming weeks with manager Zinedine Zidane keen on pursuing the World Cup winner.