The extraordinary “private” measures Manchester United took to stop team leaks | OneFootball

Manchester United reportedly went as far as privately establishing contact with social media accounts of individuals who regularly leaked team news, highlighting to them the devastating effects of their actions.

For a lot of games this season, United’s starting XI selections were leaked hours before official team news.

United’s XI for last month’s Manchester derby was shared on social media the day before the match, with senior players Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho left out by head coach Ruben Amorim.

Both stars were reportedly questioned by Amorim regarding the leaks, with the United head coach thought to be satisfied that neither of them was personally responsible.

It’s understood that Amad Diallo was also quizzed about the issue but Amorim also became convinced of his innocence.

The Daily Mail previously revealed that representatives of some United players approached them with names of potential information. It’s alleged that these names were sourced directly from members of the squad.

In recent games, there has been an almost complete halt in team leaks.

The newspaper has now given an update on the situation, indicating, “The leaks that were giving away United’s team selection have dried up since Ruben Amorim spoke publicly about the issue and the club raised their concerns.”

“Confidential also revealed that United were frustrated over baseless accusations that Garnacho and Amad Diallo were somehow to blame, and had to persuade both players from coming out to defend themselves before the Manchester derby last month.”

“The publicity surrounding the issue seems to have had an impact because the social media accounts that were routinely leaking team news this season have now gone quiet, possibly as a result of a backlash from other fans.”

The Mail add, “United have not been averse to contacting the accounts privately in the past to point out that it helps their rivals, with the club’s analysts backing it up with hard evidence to show that a team’s chances of winning are improved the sooner they know their opponents’ line-up.”

Amorim and his players return to action on Sunday when they face Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup at the Emirates.

Featured Image Naomi Baker via Getty Images

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