Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has pointed to Romelu Lukaku as another player the club let go too soon. He said the Red Devils didn’t take full advantage of Lukaku’s strengths while he was at Old Trafford.

United signed the Belgian striker from Everton in 2017 for £75 million. He hit the ground running with 27 goals in his first season, but his second year didn’t quite match the same energy. Lukaku was then sold to Inter Milan, where he rediscovered his form.

After a successful spell in Italy, Chelsea brought him back to the Premier League. However, his time at Stamford Bridge didn’t go as planned. He returned to Italy on two loan stints before finally making a permanent move to Napoli last year. Just last Friday, Lukaku played a key role in Napoli’s Serie A title win, scoring in their 2-0 victory over Cagliari.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand praised the 32-year-old forward, saying, “Lukaku deserves credit. He’s another name on the list of players who left United and went on to shine elsewhere. He’s just won the league again and scored in the title-winning game.”

Ferdinand also criticized how Lukaku was judged in England. “People focus too much on what he isn’t good at,” he said. “Because he’s big and fast, there’s this expectation for him to play a certain way. But his real strength is running into space and taking defenders on.”

He added, “United didn’t build around his style, and we probably gave up on him too soon.” This comes shortly after Ferdinand listed four other players United may have been wrong to let go in recent years.