Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have hit out at Manchester United for hiking up their ticket prices. The club's recent move to increase the cost of matchday tickets to £66 while ditching concessions for children and pensioners has sparked outrage among fans. This week, the Manchester United Supporters' Trust penned an open letter urging co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to rethink the controversial pricing strategy.

On the field, new manager Ruben Amorim has struggled to transform the club's fortunes, with the team 12th in the Premier League. However, United have a chance of securing their place in the Europa League's round of 16 on Thursday. The United board will be focused on recruitment as they look to bolster Amorim's team in the last few days of the January transfer window. However, Lineker and Shearer have taken club chiefs to task for squeezing more money out of fans to address PSR issues, especially given the team's poor performances.

During a discussion on the Rest is Football podcast about whether United should offload players to rebuild their squad or push Amorim to make do with his current players, Shearer weighed in, "By all accounts, they've got no money to bring players in, so they're going to have to sell, in terms of PSR.". "They've made a real mess of it so far," Lineker said in his criticism of the United board. "I mean, they're talking about putting ticket prices up again because of financial difficulties. You just think, 'You're going to put this on the fans?' They've been suffering enough with the football that's been played.".

Expanding on Lineker's point, Shearer expressed his disbelief: "How dare they! You go and pay for our errors. Unbelievable." The Newcastle icon was sympathetic to Amorim and wondered how the United boss felt about his predicament. "Fascinated to know what Amorim really thinks about it," Shearer said. "He must think, 'What the hell have I walked into?'". As United attempt to snap up Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu, the club reportedly also hold an interest in Bayern Munich's young striker Mathys Tel. Following on from Antony's loan move to Real Betis, there has been plenty of speculation about other outgoings this month, with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho consistently linked with moves away from Old Trafford.

"[Amorim] needs players that can play in the system that he wants to play because he says he's not going to change, he's not going to adapt," Lineker insisted. "This is the way he believes it should be played. Therefore, their recruitment needs to be for players that can play in certain positions in the way that he wants them.". The Match of the Day host didn't stop there; he also highlighted ongoing issues at Old Trafford. "The stadium's run down a little bit. I've got a number of friends who support Manchester United that go to games, and they say the matchday experience is nothing like it was even just a few years ago," Lineker continued.

"There are major concerns about that football club. Not only is it going to take time, but they've got to start getting things right.". Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.