Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is said to have angered some members of the club's senior hierarchy with his recent comments over their spending policy.
The Portuguese recently suggested that his side were not spending ambitiously enough in the transfer market and as a result have struggled to compete with arch rivals Manchester City, who are 15 points ahead of them in the Premier League table.
Mourinho has spent more than £260m on new faces since his arrival at Old Trafford in July 2016 and his comments - made in the build-up to the January transfer window - have left him "treading a fine line" with some senior figures at the club, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper says that Mourinho's remarks have been regarded as "a less-than-subtle attempt to pressure them into more spending", while it cites one "prominent" figure as alleging that people close to Mourinho have been deliberately leaking news of potential signings to the press.
Pressed on his plans for the January transfer window earlier this week, Mourinho remained coy by claiming that he 'doesn't know' if the club will bring in new players.