Mourinho’s red and black army: why the new Man United kit is a shocker

A quick question. What colours do Manchester United play in?

If your answer is red, white and black, try again.

Because there isn’t a trace of white in the new kit. And the white shorts have been replaced by black.

Opinions about the kit have been mixed. We like everything about it. Apart from the shirt, the shorts and the socks.

In fact, we think it’s a bit of a shocker.

According to the kit’s designer, Inigo Turner, who, ironically, is a United fan, the barcode-style hoops at the bottom of the shirt are a tribute to the club’s origins.

“The new shirt for Manchester United mixes the heritage and history of the club’s illustrious past, with modern technology and design innovation from adidas.

“The train track graphic on the shirt is a reference to the origins of the club, when the team was known as Newton Heath (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) Cricket and Football Club.

“When designing the kit, we wanted to tell the story of the first incarnation of the United kit, 140 years ago. Originally, the team wore dark shorts, and we’ve reinterpreted this story in a bold and contemporary way, connecting the past to the future, and combining the very best in performance with street wearability.”

Shame he’s ignored another tradition. That United play in red shirts, white shorts and black socks and have done for decades – apart from the sixties, when they wore white socks for a couple of seasons then red socks.

Black shorts are for when they’re away to another team wearing white shorts.

The black hoops just make the shirt look like it’s been dipped in a bucket of mud. It’s more of a statement about the current state of the railways. A mess.

Adidas have got form when it comes to dodgy United kits. They like to mess about a bit too much with them. Remember the black and orange kit with white on the shorts which made them look like they’d been dipped in bleach? Or the white and grey of a couple of seasons ago? Or last season’s grey monstrosity?

These were change strips. It’s ok to experiment with change strips. But when it comes to the main kit, it’s got to be red shirts, white shorts, black socks every time.

Come back Nike. All is forgiven.