Sir Jim Ratcliffe DEFENDS Man United hiking kids ticket prices to £66

Sir Jim Ratcliffe insists that it does not make sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than one at Fulham as he refuses to rule out further ticket increases.

Ratcliffe’s shock remarks come less than a week after hundreds of United angrily protested against him and the Glazers outside Old Trafford.

Fans have been left furious at the club's decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66 per game, with no concessions for children or pensioners.

Anger is so strong in these parts that tickets for Saturday's match against Nottingham Forest made its way to general sale which is largely unheard of for the club for a Premier League match.

‘I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham,’ Ratcliffe told the United We Stand fanzine.

‘I don’t want to end up in a position where the genuine local fans can't afford to come, but I do want to optimise the ticketing,’ he said.

‘We need to find a balance. And you can't be popular all the time either.

‘Here, we're talking about three per cent of the tickets. That's not the issue. The issue, as you say, is whether this is the thin edge of the wedge [for more raises in future].’

The hike on tickets is the latest measure in Ratcliffe and Ineos's ongoing drive to cut costs and increase revenues.

United say that only three per cent of supporters will be affected as 97 per cent of tickets for all remaining matches have already been sold. And officials are adamant that nothing has yet been decided for next season.

Last week the Manchester United Supporters' Trust hit out at the club for providing 'zero consultation' over the staggering hike and claimed they are being asked to pay for the mistakes of majority owners the Glazer family in what is an 'offensive' act.

Prices had started at £40 for adults and £25 for children but tickets will now be charged at the highest category, A, regardless of where they are located in Old Trafford.

'There is a risk that this is only the opening salvo of what will surely be massive pressure to implement a significant price rise for next season,' a MUST spokesperson said.

'Once they have got used to charging £132 for a parent and child to come to OT, will they really go back to the old pricing levels for next season?'

Ratcliffe conceded that ticketing, and the raising of prices, is an emotional issue.

‘We need to make sure that people who are genuine supporters can afford to go,’ he added.

‘Maybe their circumstances don't allow them to spend a fortune on tickets. I 100 per cent get that. But we have to balance that and optimise our ticket income because it feeds back into how do we win the Champions League or Premier League.

‘I'm very cognisant that we have to look after the community because its the community's team, but equally I want to optimise the revenue from people who can afford it.’