Louis van Gaal snubbed an attempt to bring big-money purchases to Manchester United before being shown the exit, according to a report.
The Dutchman is said to have blocked the club's initial attempt to lure Paul Pogba to Old Trafford as he preferred spreading the money to develop younger talent.
It is claimed by The Sun that United vice-chairman Ed Woodward had been interested in bringing the Frenchman back for the past three years, before finally getting a deal over the line this summer once Van Gaal had departed.
New boss Jose Mourinho had no such issues, however, and is said to have played a big part in making Pogba the most expensive player ever at £89m when putting pen to paper on a long-term deal earlier this week.
Van Gaal will not be able to comment on the topic of transfer business during his time at United for the next 12 months, due to a non-disclosure agreement signed when leaving the Red Devils in May.