Man Utd icon forced from seat at Old Trafford he has had for 30 years

A former Manchester United star has been forced out of his season ticket seat at Old Trafford despite holding it for almost 30 years.

Despite making over 100 appearances for United in a spell between 1975 and 1978 Gordon Hill has had his seat reallocated.

The most memorable moment during Hill's three-year period with the Red Devils was the 1977 FA Cup final victory over rivals Liverpool.

United's victory was pivotal in preventing Liverpool from becoming the first club to win the treble as they won both the League and European Cup that year.

Hill isn't the first former player to have had his seat at Old Trafford reallocated after Norman Whiteside was recently subjected to the same treatment.

Whiteside's wife has claimed that the reason for this is due to the club wanting to expand the amount of executive seating at Old Trafford, as reported in The Mirror.

The report also states that the club have denied this and responded by saying they empathise with Whiteside.

As for Hill, the 69-year-old took to social media to vent his frustration.

Looks like I will not be taking my season tickets after having them from 1996, and being told you will be relocated I can not believe this from a club I represented and played my heart out for. I was given a reason which was bloody ridiculous I will be speaking to Jim. Not happy

— Gordon Hill (@gordonhill54) March 1, 2024

He said that he would be speaking to United's new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe about the situation after being given a 'ridiculous reason'.

United confirmed Ratcliffe's takeover in February after it got approval from both the FA and the Premier League.

He will take control of United's football operations and one way to win over fans would be to ensure former players are exempt from having their seats reallocated.

The club's initial response to the decision to force Hill from his seat was: "We understand the disappointment felt by Gordon and other season ticket-holders affected by seat relocations."

United plan to either renovate Old Trafford or build a completely new stadium under Ratcliffe's ownership, so there's likely to be further disruption to season ticket holders in the coming years.