Manchester United's players reportedly wanted to see Jose Mourinho dismissed three months before his actual sacking.
The Red Devils parted company with the Portuguese a week before Christmas after making their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was placed in caretaker charge and United have looked rejuvenated ever since, winning six straight matches under their temporary boss.
Had United's first-team stars got their way, however, the Manchester Evening News reports that the club would have had a new manager as far back as September.
The report cites the desire for a more attacking brand of football for the players' wish to see the back of Mourinho, who was eventually dismissed on the back of a 3-1 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool.
Mourinho regularly called out a number of his players in public, including the likes of Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba, each of whom have returned to form under Solskjaer over the past few weeks.
