"I’m convinced that someone from Manchester United leaked the story linking them with [Marko] Arnautovic," said Premier League legend Alan Shearer on Match of the Day.
"Just to see what the reaction was. The reaction was that bad that they then had to pull out and I’m pretty convinced.
"I think that sort of sums up where United are - they’re in a mess and it’s going to take time, an unbelievable amount of money to get things right inside the football club and in terms of the right recruitment.
"It’s going to take a lot of patience from the Manchester United fans because of where they are now to where they want to be - miles away."
Fans were quick to express their displeasure at the Arnautovic links, prompting the club to abandon the pursuit.
