Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold meets fans in pub and admits club has 'blown' a billion on players

Richard Arnold, the new Manchester United chief executive, has admitted that the club has “f------ burnt” vast sums of money during a candid meeting with disgruntled fans that was secretly filmed.

Leaked footage shows Arnold bluntly conceding that the club endured a “f------ nightmare year” - and the emergence on social media of the video has prompted warnings that other club owners and executives will become even less likely to engage informally with fans.

“Fair play to Richard Arnold - every fan moans about not getting access to people at the top of their club, this is the reason why they don’t,” said Jamie Carragher, the former England and Liverpool defender.

Supporters had been planning a protest outside Arnold's home amid ongoing unrest about the ownership of the Glazer family.

Arnold, who replaced Ed Woodward earlier this year, was told that a group of around 15 fans had congregated at the Boot Inn in Cheshire and so arrived at the pub himself. He bought the fans a round of drinks and they duly cleared the air by discussing a range of topics, including the owners and United's pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

It’s believed that Arnold asked the fans not to film or record the chat, which lasted around one hour, but parts of the conversation did then appear on social media. Arnold was aware of the risk of that happening, but is understood still to be a little disappointed by the apparent breach of trust.

Richard Arnold. Talking about the Glazers. pic.twitter.com/RnHXCQuXfk

United recorded their lowest Premier League points haul in finishing sixth last year, and even ended the season with a neutral goal difference.The dreadful season was played out against a backdrop of ongoing protests against the