Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward spoke to players via video conference to address concerns about their Super League involvement.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, some of United's players were left 'seriously unimpressed' about the fact that they found out about the proposal via media reports.
United chief Woodward is said to have held an emergency briefing with the squad over Zoom to explain the club's decision but it did not go down well.
A source said: "Some of the players were seriously unimpressed. Not only that they were left to find out by the media about what had happened but that their manager was left to face the press when the owners had concocted this.
"Woodward attempted to appease them but the response was lukewarm at best. It hasn't gone down well with many of them."