United rubbish illegal approach claims

Manchester United today dismissed reports claiming they have made illegal approaches to young players overseas.

It has been reported that United have targeted players in France and Brazil as young as seven years old, and the club have vehemently denied the allegations.

A statement on the club’s official website www.manutd.com read: “These stories do not have an element of truth and sadly no attempt was made to contact Manchester United to verify the accuracy of the claims.

“Please be assured that we treat these matters extremely seriously and we have registered our complaints accordingly.

“These reports do serious damage to both the reputation of the club and the credibility of our scouts in these countries and we are seeking to redress the balance.

“Manchester United always conducts itself in a right and proper manner and we will take necessary steps to protect the name and integrity of the club.”

How and when clubs approach potential new recruits has been in the spotlight following allegations that Chelsea made an illegal approach for Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole.