IT WAS MADE in Manchester, according to the press blurb, but United’s kit for next season will be mocked the world over.

Proudly worn by Rio Ferdinand, the new jersey ‘blends cutting-edge technology with a design inspired by the club’s rich history’.

Gingham, it seems, was first developed and produced in Manchester and will now provide the fashionable backdrop to United’s sponsor-emblazoned jerseys for the next two years.

In wedding themselves to a fashion design that is synonymous with picnic blankets and table covers in mid-priced Italian restaurants, United have taken a brave step into the abyss. The blurb continues:

The new design pays homage to the role that working-class values such as respect, hard work and responsibility have played in building a club defined by glory. The new kit truly is ‘Made of Manchester’.

A motto declaring ‘Forged in Industry’ will nestle on the inside collar of the home and away jerseys.

In tribute to the brave new dawn, we look at 10 other kits that have made a statement and offended the eyes.