The internal investigation had reached a boiling point. Its reach now stretched into every part of Manchester United City, shaking the club from the inside out. Sir Alistair Finch was desperate. With the Champions League quarter-final approaching fast and the Adidas deal still hanging in the balance, he couldn’t afford any more chaos. The pressure was brutal. He called for a string of high-level meetings, trying to hold everything together with sheer will.

Scarlett Thompson didn’t back ...