Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he had no regrets over letting Romelu Lukaku leave the club despite not having a replacement, as he said the Belgium international’s “head was not here”.
Lukaku left Old Trafford for Inter this summer after a protracted saga that saw him train at Anderlecht while still being a United player.
Attempts were made to bring Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic to Manchester but they fell through.
Although Lukaku was not replaced, Solskjaer said he’d make the decision to show him the exit door again.
"I can say [I am a striker short], but that was the decision that I made and I made it happily,” the Norwegian told Sky Sports.
"When you have players, [they may have] great potential, but Romelu's head was not here for us working forward as a group.
"I don't want to speak too much about other players. I have got lots of respects for Romelu but his time was up here.
“We are very happy with the recruitment we did. Towards the end the right one we just didn't get him over the line.
"You'd rather bite the bullet and wait because you don't want to spend big amounts of money on something that you are not sure of."
United and Solskjaer have undergone a torrid start to the season, their worst in 30 years.
They are yet to taste victory away from home this campaign and the manager believes a win at Newcastle on Sunday would provide positivity heading into the international break, as he paid homage to the Red Devils supporters.
"Of course, you don't enjoy not winning games," he added.
"You put your heart, life and soul into this job. If you win games you are happier, your mood changes but it doesn't mean your performances have been better - results change mood.
"For us to get a result [at Newcastle] is vital now. I think it will change the mood.
"The boys can go away on their international break and freshen up their heads.
"The fans are great I have to say. It's easy to be positive when I see them, they have been very positive with me. They see what you are doing and they keep going.
"We want to pay them back for their loyalty and support by getting better results and better performances. I can assure them we are working hard to do so."