The two people at Manchester United who were suspected of leaking information out of Old Trafford have now left the club, according to CEO Richard Arnold.
United endured a terrible campaign last time out with Arnold describing the season as a “f***ing nightmare” to a group of fans in a video that was leaked on Saturday evening. Arnold addressed a number of club issues to the group on Saturday, from the club’s Glazer ownership to their transfer plans for this summer.
One notable downside and source of frustration for United last season was the volume of information from the club that was leaked to media sources. There were regular reports of dressing room disquiet and discontent, which could only have come from those with the highest access to the club.
Addressing that issue, Arnold is said to have told fans in the lengthy discussion that "the two sources of the leaks have now left the club." The identity or role of the individuals involved was not clarified but the comments suggest that the club were confident they knew those responsible.
There has been an exodus of players from United this summer as six players have departed Old Trafford following the expirations of their respective contracts. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Lee Grant, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani have all departed to slim down a bloated first-team squad.
Arnold also addressed the club’s pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, with one unidentified fan at the pub stating that Arnold told them: "He said Murtough is working from 6 in the morning til 10 at night trying to get the De Jong deal done. There's £200m for transfers. He wouldn't let any other targets slip.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Man Utd be successful under the Glazer ownership? Tell us what you think here.
"He was honest with us and that helped defuse the situation. There were around 20 of us in there and telling him exactly what we thought but by the end of it, we'd piped down."
A small group of United fans had claimed to be arranging to hold a 'peaceful and legal' protest at the gates of Arnold’s home in Cheshire on Saturday, but the Chief Executive Officer of the club averted such an event by meeting face-to-face with the group at a pub.
Arnold had received a tip-off about the event, whereby the fans had planned to hold banners and chant about the CEO and the Glazer family both leaving United. Arnold then visited the pub where the band of supporters had met before the protest to address them directly. The planned protest outside Arnold’s residence was subsequently called off.
