REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Manchester United broke a little-known Premier League kit rule during their opening match of the 2026-27 season against Hull City.
United suffered a shock 2-0 defeat against last season’s Championship play-off winners at the MKM Stadium.
First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy earned all three points for the promoted Tigers, who silenced pundits like TNT Sports’ Joe Cole who suggested they have no chance of avoiding relegation this term.
For Manchester United, this result marked the worst possible start to the season.
Michael Carrick, who was appointed the club’s permanent manager in the summer following a successful interim spell after replacing Ruben Amorim in January, refused to panic but is now under increased pressure to deliver all three points when his team face another promoted side, Ipswich Town, at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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Man Utd Fail to Comply With Kit Rule
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
As well as losing 2-0, United also fell foul of Premier League kit rules on the opening weekend of the new season, per the Daily Mail.
Premier League rules state that clubs without a sleeve sponsor should display the competition’s badge on both arms.
United are currently without a sleeve sponsor after their £20 million per year deal with DXC Technology, introduced in 2022, expired in the summer.
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Man Utd failed to comply with the Premier League’s little-known rule, instead leaving one sleeve blank.
United Receive 'Polite Reminder' After Kit Error
Reuters/Lee Smith
It’s understood that the club have been ‘given a polite reminder’ of the rule. Both the Premier League and Manchester United have declined to comment.
Other clubs without shirt sleeve sponsors complied with the new rules, including Chelsea, Sunderland and Crystal Palace. Players from these teams were seen performing with the top-flight logo on both sleeves.
Reuters/Matthew Child
However, United are poised to follow suit by putting the Premier League badge on both sleeves for their first home game of the new season against Ipswich this weekend.
The Red Devils, who are currently seeking a lucrative deal with a new shirt sleeve sponsor, will be desperate to bounce back with all three points.
However, Ipswich have enjoyed an excellent start to the season - beating Sunderland in their Premier League opener before knocking Leicester City out of the Carabao Cup - and will take plenty of heart from Hull’s victory over the English giants.
"I haven't seen Manchester United in pre-season,” Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer said on BBC Radio Five Live. “I saw them in this game and they didn't look fit, they didn't look ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high pressure, high-energy football.”