Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken with Romelu Lukaku after he posted a video on Twitter of Manchester United training stats.
Lukaku, 26, was omitted from the United squad for their friendly win over AC Milan in Cardiff after agreeing a move to Juventus. However, a potential swap deal involving Paulo Dybala is being held up as the Argentinian mulls over joining United, who have also discussed the possibility of signing Mario Mandzukic.
Amid doubts over his United future, Lukaku took to Twitter on Friday night and revealed his support for the LA Lakers basketball team in an innocuous tweet by posting a picture of himself wearing a Shaquille O'Neal vest. The Lakers jokingly responded Lukaku to LA was a 'done deal' and the striker replied: "I’m available to catch these passes from @KingJames (LeBron James) on the fast break since they think i’m slow out here."
Lukaku then doubled down by posting a 14-second video that detailed United players' maximum speed during one of their first training sessions in Perth on July 10. Solskjaer said he had no additional updates to offer on Lukaku's future but revealed he had contacted Lukaku about the video, which he deleted.
"I've spoken to Rom, yeah, to put it that way," Solskjaer said. "And that's case closed."
The video showed Diogo Dalot was top with a maximum of 36.4 kilometres per hour, followed by Lukaku on 36.25. Lukaku sardonically wrote 'Lack of pace', accompanied by running and crying with laughter emojis, with the video.
The material recorded United left-back Luke Shaw as the slowest on 31.03 and the 31-year-old Juan Mata as second slowest with 31.79.
Amusingly, Mata - who was with the squad in Cardiff - replied to Lukaku's tweet on Friday evening by saying: "Thanks for finally showing the world that I'm quicker than @LukeShaw23 bro."
Shaw belatedly replied to Lukaku with: "They only wanted me to go 70% don’t let me start speaking on you boy."
Lukaku has started 15 out of Solskjaer's 29 games in charge but does not feel 'important' at United and decided to leave towards the end of last season.
The £75million striker had no intention of leaving United while Jose Mourinho was in charge and Lukaku was put up to speak to the media in October with the intention of knocking down speculation surrounding a move to Italy.
Inter Milan have been Lukaku's preferred destination but last month had a £54m bid rejected for the Belgian, who is still in limbo ahead of the Premier League transfer deadline on Thursday.
Sources close to Lukaku have told the MEN 'his body is in Manchester but his mind is elsewhere' as he continues to wait on a possible transfer.
United had mooted an early deadline to sell Lukaku in order to recruit a replacement but that has effectively been scrapped amid the possibility of a Dybala swap.
