McLean confirmed that he is expecting Sturrock to hand in his notice at Tannadice tomorrow but blasted the whole situation as 'a shambles' after reports consistently contradicted each other.

But the United supremo maintains that the position will be finalised on Monday morning when he finally meets up with Sturrock, who was left bitterly disappointed after the 3-0 defeat at Hibs on Saturday.

'I can't say anything other than Paul Sturrock is still officially the manager of Dundee United Football Club,' said McLean.

'I have tried to talk to him today but we have been unable to find Paul. But we will be speaking to him tomorrow morning and hopefully have something to say after that.

'I can only apologise to everybody because this has been a shambles in the way that it has been handled but hopefully we will get everything sorted out tomorrow.

'At 9.30 on Saturday night, I received a phone call from Paul Sturrock where the performance and the result at Easter Road had him well down.

'But he said that he has not been sleeping well recently and he would speak to me on Monday and he would be resigning as manager of Dundee United.

'Now it is astonishing for me to get up this morning and see that Paul Sturrock has already resigned and also that we have accepted his resignation.

'He most certainly has not resigned and, if he does, that will be considered by the board after the discussions we have with him.

'I am not insinuating that we will be doing anything to talk him out of it. Everybody knows that the publicity on Paul's move to Canada does not have a good effect on the club.

'But, again, if it is health problems that Paul has got, we would like to know about it.'

Sturrock had a health scare five years ago when he was manager of St Johnstone after collapsing at a game, ironically, at Tannadice.

But McLean insists that he will not stop Sturrock leaving if health problems are the reason for his decision to quit the club.

'I would be a hypocrite if I tried to talk Paul Sturrock into staying as manager if it is health problems,' McLean told Radio Five Live.

'But we won't be talking Paul out of it under any other circumstances. We will listen to what he is saying and, if it is rational, then we will agree with it.

'If we feel it is not rational and he is under pressure at the moment, then we will do what we can for him.

'But there is no doubt that Paul wants what everybody else does for the club to get on the right road.

'At the moment, we are most certainly very disappointed with the results and the performances.

'Paul just wants to succeed. I don't think there is a point in playing any sport unless you want to win and Paul is exactly the same.

'I don't think that pressure is very much different. At the end of the day, if he can't handle it, then we'll let Paul go with our best wishes.'

Sturrock's bond with United stretches back 27 years after he signed for the club in 1973 from junior side Bankfoot.

But the ex-manager could never quite find the same mould for his team to repeat the Arabs' success when he was a player when he won the League title and two League Cups.