A social media campaign is urging Manchester United fans to stay away from Old Trafford for the visit of Liverpool this month.
The Reds travel to their fierce arch-rivals on August 22 in an early-season clash between two giants of world sport, but United's following have been asked to steer clear of what is English football's most decorated fixture due to how their club is being run by owners, the Glazer family.
United fan Aidan Walsh, whose @AidanWalshMUFC account has over 185,000 followers, is trying to ensure supporters stay away from Old Trafford later this month in an effort to send a message to their American owners.
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The post, which says '#MUNLIV Aug 22 #EmptyOlfTrafford' is apparently the latest attempt by United's followers to demand change from the Glazers, an ownership group who are deeply disliked by the fanbase at United.
The tweet, which is accompanied by the hashtag #EmptyOldTrafford, has been liked over 11,000 times and had hundreds of replies and retweets by Tuesday afternoon. United supporters have long since campaigned against their owners, who have been in charge since 2005, although recent years of underachievement on the pitch have only heightened the frustration.
It's unclear if the campaign will lead to noticeably fewer fans inside the 74,000-seat stadium but a largely empty Old Trafford would certainly make headlines around a game that is now indisputably the most watched fixture in world football.
However, an empty stadium will surely give Jurgen Klopp's side an edge when they take the trip across the M62 later this month. The Reds won 5-0 on their last visit to Old Trafford, in October last year, when Mohamed Salah added a hat-trick to goals from Naby Keita and Diogo Jota.
It's not the first time a protest has been planned for the visit of Liverpool in recent times, of course. In May 2021, the game was postponed after angry supporters stormed Old Trafford in protest of the Glazers and their part in the Super League debacle, forcing the match to be pushed back as the Premier League season continued to be played behind closed doors.
The new regime of Erik ten Hag got off to the worst possible start on Sunday afternoon when they were beaten by Brighton 2-1 at home and supporters have only become further exasperated by reports linking them with former Stoke City and West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic as their efforts to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona appear no closer.
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