Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has pushed back on criticism of his stewardship of the club, saying that it is “a myth” and “an insult” to claim that non-football people take major football decisions at the club.

The Old Trafford club are 12th in the Premier League and 15 points behind leaders Liverpool, who they play on Sunday.

It has been claimed Woodward has too much influence on Solskjaer’s squad, and Jose Mourinho’s before him.

But Woodward says decisions on players are “not made by senior management”.

Amid United’s current struggles, particular attention has been paid to their failure to sign a striker once it became obvious Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez would be leaving for Inter Milan.

It is understood Juventus front-man Mario Mandzukic was considered but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided against making a move.

The decision seems to have backfired as United have struggled for goals – scoring just five times in their last seven league games.

Woodward, speaking at the club’s annual all-staff meeting, says some of the allegations that have been made in recent times are wrong.

“There is a myth that we have non-football people making football decisions,” he said. “I think that is insulting to the brilliant people who work on the football side in this club.”

He added: “We’ve expanded our recruitment department in recent years and we believe this now runs in an efficient and productive way.

“Player recommendations and decisions are worked on by this department and by the first-team manager and his staff, not by senior management.”

Woodward has come under fire recently, while the club’s owners, the Glazer family, were the subject of supporter discontent during the dismal 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on 6 October.

However, it is being stressed funds will be available should potential signings emerge in January, which is seen as a key month by some in making sure a disappointing season doesn’t career out of control.

The club, however, maintains that any signings would have to fit into the long-term vision of manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer who has sort to bring in young, mostly British players with potential over older more established players.

Signing older players for the sake of it is being ruled out.

“The changes we saw over the summer have resulted in a very young squad,” said Woodward.

“But it’s also a squad, with the players and the culture, that provides a base camp for us to build and grow from as we start our new journey.”

United have endured their worst start to a league campaign in 30 years, with three wins from 11 games in all competitions and no more than one goal in any game since the 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the campaign.

Rather than sign players who didn’t fit into his philosophy over the summer, Solksjaer elected to operate with a slimmed down squad having let a number of players leave.

Senior United figures accepted this even though everyone, from the manager down, knew it brought inherent risk, especially if injuries struck in the way they have.

Now, Solskjaer is under pressure to turn the present situation around.

Well-placed sources are adamant the 46-year-old retains the support of Woodward and the Glazer family.

Woodward said last month the club needed to be patient and it is understood that even a heavy defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday would not change the situation.

“The middle section of last season, after Ole’s arrival, feels most relevant to what we want to achieve and where we want to be,” said Woodward.

“We saw a team playing fast, fluid football, with a clear representation of the style and philosophy the manager wants.

“Ole has also instilled the discipline back into an environment where we may have lacked it in recent years. He is building a squad that respects the club’s history, in which players work hard and respect their team-mates. No-one is bigger than the club.”