Manchester United has been slammed by season ticket holders as a "total disgrace" after the club's latest strategy to fix their troubling financial situation was revealed.
United announced ticket prices will increase by roughly 5 per cent for the third consecutive year, with senior citizens set to lose out on a portion of their discount.
The current system in place for pensioners sees a discount of 50 per cent awarded but from next season it has been halved to 25 per cent.
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According to United fan group 'The 1958', the price increase effectively equates to a 57 per cent increase for the club's "most loyal generational fans."
"We have campaigned tirelessly with the FSA and in collaboration with other like minded fan groups to ensure the club know fan sentiment on ticket prices," a statement from the group said.
Manchester United fans protest against the Glazers ownership of the club outside The Tollgate pub.
Manchester United fans protest against the Glazers ownership of the club outside The Tollgate pub. Getty
"Without these actions who knows what the club would have done otherwise.
"The fact the ticket prices were not frozen and the club did not follow the precedent set by other Premier League clubs, is really disappointing. Especially after serving up one of the worst teams in decades.
"This is the first phase of reducing the amount of season ticket holders... it is a total disgrace.
"We want a custodian of the club that puts fans first, cares about this once great institution. Instead, we have a club that is crumbling beneath our feet and we are expected to foot the bill for 20 years of Glazer [the owner of United] decay and damage."
The Manchester United Supports' Trust (MUST) declared they would seek "urgent discussions" with the club in the hope of seeing the senior discount reduction plan changed to be phased out over multiple seasons.
United CEO Omar Berrada insisted the club "worked hard" to ensure that the new pricing packages were "fair and reasonable."
In response to the senior discount reduction, United said it would allow the club to remove the anomaly of some fans benefitting from a 50 per cent reduction and others 25 per cent.
The season ticket prices do remain lower than a decade ago when adjusted for inflation and are comparable with other clubs in north-west England, according to the club.
The pricing change will not impact tickets for individuals under the age of 16.
Manchester United new stadium Nine
Meanwhile, it was also revealed United has opted to turn some seating areas around the Old Trafford benches into VIP hospitality tickets in a bid to increase revenue.
The introduction of hospitality zones behind the benches has been introduced at Stamford Bridge, with fans paying a minimum of $12,000 AUD for a seat.
"Some of the general admission tickets directly adjacent to the home and away dugouts will be converted to hospitality seats, reflecting the high value of this unique location," United said.
"We appreciate the disruption this will cause those fans who currently sit there and we will be contacting them individually to ensure a suitable alternative seat is found."
The announcement comes just a week after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said the club would be out of money by "Christmas" without his investment and the proposed plans to build a new $4 billion stadium.