Wednesday 29 April 2020 22:25, UK
Manchester United have been granted permission to trial around 1,500 barrier seats at Old Trafford.
The club held positive talks with Trafford Council prior to the coronavirus outbreak and will now install barrier seating - standing with rails - following a change in safety guidelines.
The plans for 1,500 seats in J-Stand have now been approved for use when supporters are allowed back into the stadium, with United considering potentially installing it in other areas of Old Trafford if successful.
Managing director Richard Arnold said: "It should be stated, up front, that our overwhelming priority is to keep our people safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background.
"This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans.
"We have listened to their feedback, in particular, the representations made by MUST, and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal."
Standing in English football's top two divisions was outlawed following recommendations on stadium safety made in the Taylor Report following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
Fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Wolves have already installed rail seating at their grounds and Scottish side Celtic also have a similar section at their Parkhead stadium.
The Manchester United Supporters' Trust welcomed the development, which follows long-standing discussions with the club's fans in recent years.
"We are delighted that the club has been given the green light to proceed with a barrier seating trial at Old Trafford," they said in a statement.
"While it is the club who formally requested the trial, it is the culmination of many years of work by MUST (previously SU & IMUSA) representatives stretching back three decades since the very inception of the all-seater regulations.
"MUST was also involved in the national campaign through the FSA working with fans of other clubs while also lobbying at local level."
