It’s fair to say that not so long ago Matteo Darmian returning to Italy in January seemed a pretty sure thing. The Italian looked way out of the plans of Jose Mourinho and a switch made sense, with interest from both Juventus and Inter Milan strongly reported.
The new situation is accepted by Turin newspaper Tuttosport, but they still reckon their local club Juventus are keen on Darmian.
He ticks most of the boxes, is Italian, an international can play both fullback positions, and is a good age at 27, but he no longer so easily ticks the availability box.
Juventus would face a battle to convince Manchester United, as would Inter Milan.
Everything depends on the choice of Mourinho, and right now his public comments suggest players used as much as Darmian aren’t going anywhere. But, again, things can change quickly at Manchester United, which is probably why there’s still Italian hope.