'We are responding to certain recent articles which have appeared in the media alleging that Manchester United Football Club had approached young foreign players in France and Brazil, some as young as 7 years of age.
These stories do not have an element of truth and sadly no attempt was made to contact Manchester United to verify the accuracy of the claims.
Please be assured that we treat these matters extremely seriously and we have registered our complaints accordingly.
These reports do serious damage to both the reputation of the Club and the credibility of our scouts in these countries and we are seeking to redress the balance.
Manchester United always conducts itself in a right and proper manner and we will take necessary steps to protect the name and integrity of the Club.'