Manchester United's new Adidas kit will finally go on sale this weekend, despite being leaked earlier this month and spotted on the rails at a US sports shop a week ago. Sports stores will open at midnight in Manchester, and London, to allow fans to get their hands on the new tops.
The deal with Adidas is worth a staggering £750m over ten years, but despite the magnitude of the deal the kit launch will be low key, with the first team donning the tops for the first time against Spurs on the opening day of the season.
Unlike other clubs who have been showing off their new strips in pre-season, United played their US tour matches in last season's Nike kit as their 13-year association with the American sports manufacturer does not officially end until the end of July.
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Manager Louis van Gaal also rejeted requests for a high-profile friendly at Old Trafford next week so he could concentrate on preparing his squad for the Premier League season.
The lack of fanfare has also been compounded by the fact that fans already know what the tops will look like. When the designs leaked, images were posted on social media site Reddit and quickly went viral, reports the Manchester Evening News, even though Adidas has not officially revealed the designs.
GoodGuyManu / Reddit
"Reminiscent of the home strip worn by the team during the 1980s, the shirt features a classic V-neck collar and white bands on the sleeves," says the Daily Mail.
And whether the fans like it or not, it will earn United a lot of money. "Last year, United made £37.5m from merchandise. In the first year of the new deal they will rake in £75m from Adidas," notes the paper.
The deal dwarfs those of United's rivals. The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have deals worth just £30m a year.
