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Manchester United supporters were quick to express their disgust towards the club's new third kit, which they wore during their clash with Southampton on August 27.
The opening half of the Premier League encounter was a largely quiet affair. Erik ten Hag named an unchanged lineup to the one which beat Liverpool 2-1 on Monday night (August 22).
The main talking point among Manchester United supporters from St. Mary's appears to be their lime green kit, which has received widespread negativity. The Red Devils have been forced to wear their third strip as their white away kit would have clashed with Southampton's home attire.
Manchester United wore the same kit during the horrific display they put on against Brentford two weeks ago, a clash in which they were thrashed 4-0.
The Red Devils went into halftime against Southampton with the scoreline reading 0-0.
However, fans appear to be scarred by the experience in West London, as many now believe that the eye-catching kit could be a bad luck charm.
Some just feel that the kit is flat out ugly, with some complaining that they are struggling to spot players on the pitch. One fan even compared it to the infamous away kit worn at St. Mary's in 1996. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed back then that his players could not see, hence why they were 3-0 down at half-time.
Many took to Twitter to express their disgust at the bright green abomination:
Manchester United kit reminds supporters of infamous grey kit 26 years ago
Manchester United found themselves 3-0 down at half-time on the South Coast in 1996 and emerged in a different kit after the break.
Sir Alex Ferguson used the kit as an excuse as to why his side had performed so poorly in the first period. TalkSPORT quoted him as saying after the defeat:
“The players don’t like the grey strip,” manager Ferguson said at the time. “The players couldn’t pick each other out. They said it was difficult to see their team-mates at distance when they lifted their heads. It was nothing to do with superstition.”
Manchester United emerged in a blue and white kit in the second period, but ultimately lost the clash 3-1.
Gary Neville recalled the incident with Sky Sports, as he stated:
"It's a bit unique, but there was a bit of science behind it. Sir Alex had employed a couple of years before Professor Gail Stephenson from Liverpool University, and we had her as our 'eye coach'."
He added:
"It's going to sound really daft this, but one of the great theories around football that was presented at United at the time was that match sharpness was nothing to do with your physical fitness. It was to do with your eye muscles being able to react to things happening on the pitch."
