Our new strip’s a rip-off! Fans fume at £192 price tag of Man Utd’s latest kit
FANS were football mad last night after Manchester United unveiled the Premier League’s most expensive kit – priced at an eye-watering £192. The “authentic” Red Devils 2018/19 season jersey costs £109.95 alone. Add shorts at £42.95 and £29.95 for socks and the premium kit will set diehard fans back £182.85. An extra £10 for a name and number on the back takes the total to £192.85. Cash-strapped parents of fans aged seven to 16 will have to fork out £49.95 for a jersey, £24.95 for shorts, and £16.95 for socks, a total of £91.85. United’s normal adult “replica” full strip, the most popular fan choice, is £66 cheaper, with the jersey £64.95, shorts £34.95 and socks £16.95. The premium kit costs £68 more than a £124 full season ticket at German giants Bayern Munich. An Arsenal authentic home shirt costs £100 and Manchester City’s top-end version is £89.95. Angry United fans blasted the shirt’s “crazy” price tag on social media. Phil Robinson wrote: “Over a ton for a shirt? I remember the days they were about 50 quid... and 42 quid for shorts... wow!” Steve Prosser said it was “simply not worth the cost”, while Jean Shaw added: “Disgusting”. And Phil Eckersley fumed: “I love my club but this is crazy.”
The Adidas kit boasts “climachill” technology and an “athletic fit”. The replica has an embroidered badge but the authentic version boasts a heat-transfer.
United revealed the new kit via a video on Twitter, featuring Spanish midfielder Juan Mata. Train-track inspired stripes reference the roots of the club when it was founded as Newton Heath (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) Cricket and Football Club.
Regardless of cost, some fans were simply not happy with the shirt’s look.
One said: “What has Manchester United got to do with some sweaty railway lads in Newton Heath? Absolutely ridiculous.” Another said: “All three kits this season represents how much identity this club has lost. I’m sick.”
United’s group managing director Richard Arnold said yesterday: “There are many great moments in this club’s fantastic history and none more important than the year the club was founded, back in 1878. This shirt from Adidas pays homage to the year we were founded and marks 140 years of footballing success.”