Manchester United ‘LEAKED’ news they were in talks over Arnautovic transfer claims Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer has sensationally claimed that Manchester United leaked the news that they were in talks to sign Marko Arnautovic to gauge the reaction of supporters. 

It emerged last week that the club were in discussions with Bologna over the transfer of Arnautovic with fans responding furiously on social media to the reports. 

Speaking on Match of the Day after United’s ignominious 4-0 defeat away at Brentford, Shearer was insistent in his view that the club had leaked the fact that they were in discussions for the Austrian.   

‘I’m convinced someone from Man United leaked the story linking them with Marko Arnautovic just to see what the reaction was,’ he said.

‘The reaction was that bad they then had to pull out. I’m pretty convinced that was [leaked].’

The former Newcastle forward who famously rejected United and Sir Alex Ferguson on a number of occasions said that the whole saga was indicative of a club that was at present unsure of itself and in a mess.

Shearer said the move was indicative of a club that is in a total mess and does not know what it is doing

Erik ten Hag’s reign has got off to the worst possible start with two consecutive defeats 

‘I think that pretty much sums up where Manchester United are. They’re in a mess,’ he added. 

United, for the first time in 30 years, find themselves at the foot of the Premier League table with the club struggling to attract new faces as the transfer window draws towards its conclusion. 

Ten Hag finds himself staring down the barrel of criticism from all corners as pundits and supporters alike line up to offer their two cents one of the world’s biggest clubs. 

Ben Mee leaped above Lisandro Martinez to score Brentford’s third inside the opening 30 minutes of the game 

The Dutchman became the first United boss in over a century – since John Chapman in 1921 – to lose his first two competitive games in charge. After the game, the former Ajax man criticised his players and said that he could have changed any number of them at half-time.   

‘It’s rubbish, it’s poor, we need higher standards than that,’ raged Ten Hag after goals from Josh Dasilva, Ben Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo condemned United to a desperate loss.

‘The good players we had should have been better,’ he said. Ten Hag made three substitutions after the first-half horror show and went on: ‘I could have changed another eight.

Erik ten Hag has a lot to ponder after a miserable performance ahead of a tricky clash coming up against rivals Liverpool

‘You can have a plan but the plan went into the bin. I can bring up several reasons why but that looks like excuses, and excuses are not there. At the top we have to deliver and we didn’t do that.’

United face a trolley dash to end their transfer window with nobody left in any uncertain terms that the current squad simply are not up to the high standards expected of the club. 

United’s travelling contingent in south west London let it be known what they thought of their players after the game with the supporters booing those players brave enough to go over and acknowledge them following the defeat.