Manchester United confirm Old Trafford reduced capacity when fans return | OneFootball

Manchester United have informed the UK Government they are ready to welcome fans back to Old Trafford, with the belief they can safely hold 23,000 spectators while obeying social distancing measures.

The club has issued a formal statement on the return of supporters after initial plans were pushed by due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

United have not played in front of their fans since March after a 2-0 victory over Man City. Scott McTominay’s late winner from distance giving us one last roar but hopefully things will start to change soon.

The club’s chief operating officer Collete Roche has issued the following statement via Sky Sports.

“We were really disappointed when the government decided not to allow fans back in the stadium in October because we’ve got everything in place to make sure we can do so safely.

“We’ve got all the COVID security measures and other processes ready to go. We spent around two months working with the government guidelines to develop the right processes and measures to make sure that we can have around 23,500 people in this stadium safely social distancing.

“It’s quite bemusing to understand why people can gather in other settings such as on an aeroplane or a restaurant, or even in a cinema to watch football, when we know we’ve got the plans and the process is ready to deliver a match day here safely.”

Fans who travel home and away have be forced to dramatically change their usual plans due to the pandemic.

There have been games where United have missed having fans in the stadium, too. The players experience a newfound drive when the Stretford End is behind them, which manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer alluded to after Saturday’s goalless draw with Chelsea.

The sooner fans are allowed back to games the better.

Manchester United take on RB Leipzig at Old Trafford in the Champions League tonight. Follow @StrettyNews for more updates.

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