Manchester United chose to sell Romelu Lukaku after he arrived for preseason training overweight.
The Sun says the Belgium striker, who says he was a scapegoat at Old Trafford, shocked backroom staff with his condition after the summer.
Lukaku was 9lb over his ideal weight when he returned to the club's Carrington HQ.
Lukaku trained on his own for parts of the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia as he looked to move away from the club and eventually joined Inter Milan.
He managed to step up his fitness by the time he left for the San Siro - but still faced questions in Italy over his weight.