Manchester United's Andre Onana.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Kits are the least of Manchester United’s problems this season, as the Erik ten Hag-driven resurgence seems to have hit a roadblock.
Those at Carrington, however, have a sartotial worry to deal with on top of glaring performance issues. United players have complained about parts of their Adidas kits being too tight. There appear to be issues with the stitching on the home socks and with goalkeeper Andre Onana’s jersey.
Some players reportedly have said the socks are too tight, with many opting to cut holes in the back of the fabric in the current season. The Athletic cited sources familiar with the issue saying that the stitching of the club’s devil logo has apparently made the socks too tight.
Adidas has swapped out the ill-fitting socks with identical ones made of the same material but without the logo for now, and the stitching will be amended at a later date.
Onana also faced issues with his jersey. While the publication reported that Adidas received feedback from past United goalkeepers that they wanted their jerseys to be tighter, the Cameroon international who came over from Inter Milan, prefers a looser fit and has thus moved to a replica for now.
Adidas is seeking a long-term solution to the problem and part of it includes Onana getting a shirt specifically made for him.
The issues are likely to be resolved by the end of the year, if not the end of November.
Amid the worries, ten Hag remains confident his side will bounce back, issuing a statement after United’s latest derby loss in the PL to neighbours Manchester City.
“While this has not been the start to the season that we had all hoped for, I am certain that we have the talent and attitude as a collective to move in the right direction. I believe that it is only a matter of time before we are showing our true selves. It will come, I am certain”, the Dutch man said.
The Premier League side barely scraped a win against Copenhagen in the Champions League, had their Carabao Cup hopes dashed last night after the 3-0 loss to Newcastle, and sit in the 8th place in the Premier League table - hardly enviable for a club whose manager not-so-long ago hinted at the emergence of a new force in his messaging to Liverpool and Manchester City gaffers Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, when he said “eras come to an end”.