Man United take extraordinary step as Forest tickets placed on open sale

Manchester United have taken the extraordinary step of putting tickets for Saturday's game against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on open sale.

The move comes amid growing resentment among fans over the club’s decision to raise the price of tickets for members to £66 and scrap concessions for children and pensioners.

A spokesman for the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust told Mail Sport: ‘Tickets for league home games have been gold dust for decades.

‘But fans have a limit and the fact Forest tickets are on open sale should make the club see that £66 tickets are a step too far. It’s time to reverse the decision and make sure Old Trafford remains as full as ever.’

While it’s common for tickets returned by season-ticket holders to be sold to members by United, the club website on Wednesday had availability for the general public on all four sides of Old Trafford.

United on Wednesday confirmed the Forest match has been sold out, but the fact that they had to resort to an open sale is seen as significant.

A spokesman for protest group The 1958 said: ‘It’s unheard of for a Premier League game, it just doesn’t happen – this has backfired massively.’

Fans vented their anger at the Glazer family and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe at last weekend’s game against Everton, with a survey of 4,000 supporters by MUST revealing that 68 per cent will attend fewer games.

There are now fears among United’s 55,000 season-ticket holders that a hefty price hike is likely for them next season too.