United will brave angry fans: Gill

Manchester United chief excutive David Gill insists the club will stand firm in the face of a two-pronged attack from their own supporters.

There are fears the anger and resentment felt at Malcolm Glazer’s £790m (€1.1bn) takeover and Rio Ferdinand’s on-going contract dispute could spill over on August 9 when United entertain Debrecen or Hajduk Split in the Champions League qualifier.

Both men have been subjected to personal abuse during United’s Far East tour, with Glazer’s son Bryan, who had to be escorted away in the back of a police van on his first visit to Old Trafford, forced to defend his father on Tuesday when a handful of fans broke into the VIP area after the victory over Beijing Hyundai.

Forty-eight hours after being verbally abused in Tokyo, Ferdinand was jeered again last night during and after United’s 2-0 win over Urawa Red Diamonds in Saitama.

On each occasion, the number of protesters has been small, but with a 60,000 crowd expected for the first home game of the Red Devils campaign, there must be worries of wider scale demonstrations.