Premier League rivals of Liverpool and Manchester United are understood to be concerned by claims the two clubs had an "unofficial veto" of the recruitment process for the top tier's new chief executive.

Executives at runaway league leaders Liverpool and United were kept in close contact during the process that eventually led to Richard Masters being hired, the New York Times reports.

The club are said to deny suggestions they had "unilateral power to decline a candidate", but it is claimed at least one of the frontrunners for the job, Dave Howe of NBC Universal, was introduced to both Liverpool's Tom Werner and Ed Woodward of Manchester United.

The job was subsequently offered elsewhere, the NYT claims. One senior club rival source told the Telegraph last night that the report was a "concern but not a surprise".

The Premier League missed out on at least three candidates before appointing Masters, who had been filling in on an interim basis following the resignation of Richard Scudamore in 2018.

The television executive Susanna Dinnage had been first choice but staged a U-turn after accepting the job within just a few weeks. David Pemsel, a former Guardian group executive, was then forced out of the role over reports surrounding his private life.