Man United erect 10-foot steel fence around Old Trafford in fear of more protests

Fans move barriers outside the ground as they let off flares whilst protesting against the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, before their Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, May 2, 2021. (Barrington Coombs, PA via AP)

Manchester United have ramped up security at Old Trafford ahead of their Premier League clashes with Leicester and Liverpool.

The Red Devils have installed a 10-foot tall fence at the north forecourt of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the south-east corner to the stadium.

The heightened measures come after hundreds of United fans broke through barriers at the south-east of the stadium to gain entry to the pitch during a protest against the club's owners, the Glazers.

The incident at the start of the month led to a top-flight encounter with Liverpool being postponed, handing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a major fixture congestion headache.

United chiefs are desperate to avoid protests spilling over again and are taking no chances ahead of their two home games in three days.

Joel Glazer : I want to increase communication with the fans, they’re the most important thing about this club”

Also Joel Glazer: Keep the fans as far away from the stadium as legally possible. Absolute clowns ???? #GlazersOut ???? pic.twitter.com/tnd6lbiWrd — Eric Bailly ???? (@UtdEricc) May 10, 2021

Additional steel barriers have been installed in certain areas as the Red Devils prepare for the visit of the Foxes on Tuesday evening.

While the game with Leicester is not expected to be met with mass fan protests, fresh demonstrations have been arranged ahead of the rearranged north-west derby with Liverpool on Thursday.

Many United supporters have long been opposed to the Glazers, but the American billionaires' key role in setting up the European Super League prompted a fresh wave of outcry.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer has reiterated his calls for the protests to be peaceful after a policeman suffered "life-changing" injuries during the protest earlier this month.

"Security measures are being looked at and I hope we can keep the protests - if there are protests - down to loud voices and nothing violent," said Solskjaer.

"We want to listen, the players want to play the game. We're playing Liverpool and, of course, we want to beat Liverpool and we want to beat Leicester.

"So we're going to do everything we can for our fans to celebrate what we're doing on the pitch."

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they will be on standby at Old Trafford, with a spokesperson saying: "We have reviewed our approach again following the events of last weekend and planned appropriate resourcing to ensure the safety of all those present."