Former Manchester United staff was renowned for being a habitual team news leaker
Former Manchester United staff was renowned for being a habitual team news leaker The Sun’s Manchester United Correspondent Samuel Luckhurst has revealed that a former member of the Red Devils’ coaching staff was renowned for being a habitual leaker of the team news ahead of games. He obtained the Man United XI before the teams were announced for the game against Brentford on Monday, something he is famous for. Former Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho once jokingly suggested during a press conference that a colleague should ask the former Manchester Evening News journalist for the team news ahead of a game.
Team news leaks at Man United have been an issue in recent years and it is unlikely to be curbed anytime soon. Journalists and ‘in-the-know’ social media accounts get their scoop from Red Devils’ employees. Michael Carrick is facing what the likes of Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer experienced in terms of leaks, and the club have to do more to identify the moles.
A manager would prefer if his starting XI for a game remains hidden until it is officially released. However, that has not been the case in modern football and putting a stop to it appears impossible. The onus will be on managers to come up with initiatives to limit the rates of leaks and Carrick will hope to curb that if given the Man United job permanently.
The chances of a team winning does not always depend on a hidden team news, but the element of surprise remains crucial to get the best out of game and managers could do with trustworthy employees around them. The Red Devils secured victory over the Bees on Monday despite the team news leak, but it would have given the opposition an advantage. Man United will keep working to ensure they can keep their matchday squads a secret ahead of games and it is safe to say they have a huge task on their hands.