422 G/A great was fuming about what Jose Mourinho did as Man Utd boss in 2017

There are a handful of figures in football history who can claim to have seriously impacted the game, but few as much as Jean Marc Bosman did in 1995.

Power immediately shifted from clubs to the players, giving them freedom of movement and the ability to leave without a fee at the end of their contracts. A far cry from the five players who have told Manchester United that they want to leave the club this summer.

Balance has slightly been restored, however, Romelu Lukaku’s revelation about his 2017 transfer to United still comes as a surprise.

What has Romelu Lukaku said about moving to Man Utd?

Lukaku has 422 goal contributions in nearly 685 games as a senior footballer at club level having burst onto the scene as a teenager with a physicality way beyond his years.

Add 89 international goals in 124 appearances for Belgium and Lukaku has a claim to be a generational great, hence the reason various top clubs have paid over £300m for his services – including United.

In 2017, Lukaku was approaching his peak and had been causing carnage in the Premier League for Everton when Jose Mourinho swooped, looking to find United the target man and guaranteed goals to return a fallen giant back to the top of English football.

According to the 32-year old though, he wasn’t keen on heading to Old Trafford, Lukaku told Het Nieuwsblad: "I had already told everyone: I’m going to Chelsea. But suddenly Mourinho called me to say that Manchester United had made an offer.

“I came back from vacation and suddenly there was an agreement with Everton. I said to Mino (Raiola, after the move): 'I don’t want this', and then I decided now I’m doing everything myself."

In his first season, United were trophyless but did finish second in the Premier League, a position that they haven’t reached since. Lukaku finished the campaign with 27 goals to his name.

Why Lukaku is an indication of the current problems at Old Trafford

Lukaku is the perfect example of what is wrong and what has gone wrong with United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from the top job.

He is undoubtedly a fine player, a generational great, one of the best No.9’s of the last decade with a proven track record in Europe’s top leagues of scoring goals.

The 6ft 3inch tall striker can also boast 34 goal contributions in 46 Europa League games as well as 26 in 45 Champions League games, he is the very definition of elite.

And yet, United should never have signed him. The last 10 years have been littered with a combination of expensively signed players who had done well at their previous club who just aren’t a good fit for United, one way or another.

It is the main reason that Ruben Amorim’s hands are tied this summer and why Jason Wilcox is unable to start building the sort of squad that can take the club forward.

Half the players don’t want to be at Old Trafford and another quarter – at least – aren't good enough to be. He has his faults, but is it any wonder the United boss has struggled?

Matheus Cunha has signed and Bryan Mbeumo has been imminent for what feels like months, but there are still a lot of problems to solve.

Ironically, Lukaku would probably solve a lot of his problems now.