...and this is what inspired it!

A FORGOTTEN friendly between United and Sheffield United proved the starting inspiration for the club’s new third kit.

The shirt has a special recognition on the inside of the collar to recognise United’s

110th year of playing at Old Trafford, with a similar design to the plaque at the stadium for the centenary year at the Theatre of Dreams.

That anniversary proved central to the Adidas design team’s vision, with various stripes on the concourse floor and safety shutters throughout the stadium catching the eye of lead designers Inigo Turner and Chris Barnard. Those stripes, as well as iconic striped United kits of the 1910-30s and the 1994-96 blue and white away shirt, were the inspiration behind the new design. The designers also pointed to the first change kit worn by United at Old Trafford - a striped design from a forgotten friendly in 1910 against

Sheffield United. Other stripes factoring into the design were the three stripes on an early coat of arms for Manchester and the stained glass window at Manchester Central library. Those diagonal stripes, combined with the horizontal and vertical stripes of previous United kits, were combined by the design team and given a monochrome colour scheme to create the unique design of the new third kit. The kit will be worn by United teams with plain white shorts and socks with a red trim. The back of the shirt will be plain white, with player names and numbers in red.