TOP SECRET!
United tell their stars to keep pre-match plans hush-hush to avoid repeat of ugly protests
MANCHESTER United have mounted a topsecret operation to stop anti-Glazer protesters from disrupting their plans for tonight’s rearranged clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford.
United have adopted a siege mentality, with players sworn to secrecy over their preparations and staff given information on a need-to-know basis to avoid leaks and limit the security threat.
The club are trying to prevent a repeat of the scenes that caused the fixture to be postponed 11 days ago when protesters blocked the team from leaving the Lowry Hotel and hundreds more clashed with police at Old Trafford.
United are aware of the ongoing threat and have kept their plans a closely-guarded secret.
Last Wednesday, the departure time from Carrington for the Europa League semi-final against Roma in Italy was kept under wraps until the last minute amid rumours fans might try to sabotage the team bus en route to the airport.
The players stayed at home before Tuesday’s game against Leicester and were only told on Monday night to meet at the training ground before travelling to the stadium.
United’s plans are likely to change again tonight against Liverpool and there will be tight security around the match to prevent further disturbances.
United have built a ten-foot wall and installed steel barriers to protect the most vulnerable areas of Old Trafford, including the south-east corner of the stadium where fans twice broke in and got on to the pitch.
Angry demonstrators protesting against the Glazer family also threw bottles at police outside, injuring six officers.
There was an increased police presence and more stewards on duty against Leicester, although the Liverpool game has always been considered a greater risk.
Both United and Liverpool have American owners who were involved in the collapsed European Super League.
The fiasco has re-ignited anti-Glazer sentiment at United. The number of stewards at Carrington has increased significantly from 15 to around 50 since a mob with banners broke in to protest last month.
Although protesters claimed the Liverpool postponement as a victory over the Glazers, it led to United being made to play three games in five days and defeat to Leicester confirmed Manchester City as Premier League champions.
Now Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has blasted the Premier League schedule makers, describing United’s congested run as a ‘crime’.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced to field a weakened team against Leicester, making ten changes as Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes moved nine points ahead of Liverpool in the battle for a Champions League place.
Defeat tonight would almost certainly kill off Liverpool’s topfour hopes, but Klopp launched a strong defence of his rival’s team selection.
‘It was the line-up I expected. Not exactly what I expected, but I knew he had to make these changes,’ said Klopp.
‘They played on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday — I said it 500 times that with all the things that happened, and the protests at Manchester that led to that Sunday, to play Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday is a crime. It is. But it is not the fault of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the players.’
‘My question to myself was: “Would I have done the same”? Yes. You have to.
‘We are late in the season, all the players played a lot of games. United went to the Europa League final, so that means an awful lot of games and now you get Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday — that is not possible.
‘I am not the guy doing the schedule but my understanding when we thought how it could work out was there would be no Tuesday-Thursday game and you could have still played them all.
‘The explanation from the Premier League was that no other team should suffer because of the things that happened in Manchester.
‘Let me say it like this — that didn’t work out pretty well. But if we don’t qualify for the Champions League it is not the fault of Solskjaer and his team selection or the Premier League.
‘It’s our fault, but in this specific case I think things could have been done differently, definitely.
‘But we get more and more used to things rarely going in your favour or direction. It is just accepted as how it is.’
Earlier, Solskjaer said he didn’t care if Liverpool fans were unhappy about his decision to field a weakened team against Leicester.
He said: ‘My job is Man United and my concern is the Man United fans.’