Most official media outlets of football club's be it websites, twitter feeds or TV Channels are usually very staid in what they say, but not Manchester United's.
A few weeks ago I did an article about how Manchester United were using their TV channel to unsettle Nathaniel Clyne and now as it is announced that Clyne is in contract talks with Saints United are at it again, this time with Gareth Bale
It has to be said that MUTV as it is called is wholly owned by the football club and therefore they could theoretically stop the people running the channel publishing any controversial stories, but the fact that they did not appear to be bothered about the last "interviewee" claiming that the Clyne transfer was a done deal and that they are now perfectly happy for it to happen again, shows that they actually appear to be condoning the practice and feel perfectly justified in the name of the football club being used in such a way, if it hepls them unsettle players they covet.
Last month Daily Mirror journalist David McDonnell used the phrase "Done Deal" when asked about his knowledge of the events surrounding Clyneand given that it was on the clubs official channel that is blatantly aimed at unsettling the player.
But for those that thought that United were still the honourable club that they once were and that perhaps this was a faux pas by MUTV, last night they allowed claims to be mooted again by another journalist.
This time it was Sunday Express reporter John Richards who when asked about the potential interest of United in Gareth Bale said.
"I think it’s almost a done deal to be honest.
"I know somebody very close to Gareth Bale and the public are not hearing the real thing.
"He’s very unhappy there and he’s unhappy with his treatment."
Richardson’s claim was backed up by the Telegraph's Mark Ogden.
He added: "If I was a betting man and I had £50 spare to put on where he [Bale] would go, I think he’d end up here this summer.
"I’ve just got this feeling that United want him, they’ve got the money to do it.
"Bale’s domestic situation is that his girlfriend and his daughter are living back in the UK, and he doesn’t speak the language."
So once again United are not content with trying to attract players through the usual channels, they are using their own media outlets to encourage gossip and speculation and unsettle potential transfer targets.
We all know that there is a lot of underhand dealings that allegedly go on regarding transfers etc but normally football clubs keep quiet and are content to brief preferred journalists to put out discreetly the stories they want, now it seems that is not good enough for United who are quite happy to give journalists airtime on their own TV channel to put out the message.
Would United be so happy to allow a journalist to go on their TV channel and tell the listeners that he believed that Wayne Rooney was a certainly to go to say Chelsea or that David De Gea was a done deal to Real Madrid at a time when the players were in contract talks with the Old Trafford club ?
We all know the answer to that one so a clear case of double standards from MUTV and ultimately Manchester United themselves.