Manchester United fired Jose Mourinho to stave off a revolt by fed-up players.
Up to four members of the squad threatened executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward they would turn in transfer requests if Mourinho was still in charge during next month's winter window.
It's understood that Woodward decided to act as he was genuinely concerned about some of the Old Trafford giants' leading names trying to force their way out of the club.
Mourinho was axed on Tuesday morning less than 48 hours after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool that left United a staggering 19 points adrift of their bitter rivals, who top the Premier League table.
The latest revelation is a damning indictment of how bad things had become under the Special One.
Senior club sources have told how the atmosphere around the camp has grown so toxic that several players were willing to seek new clubs in January.
It was reported in September that some serious cliques had developed in the dressing room. A large number of players lost faith in the tactics and training methods of Mourinho, who began to run out of allies.
Some senior stars were incensed by his treatment of Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly, while £52million summer signing Fred was left out in the cold.