Man Utd turned Old Trafford corporate boxes into bedrooms before Liverpool clash

Manchester United turned their corporate boxes at Old Trafford into bedrooms so that players could arrive early and relax before their meeting with Liverpool amid fan protests outside the stadium.

The United faithful gathered in numbers to protest against their Glazer owners, who became even more unpopular figures by signing the club up to the doomed European Super League last month.

Supporters broke into Old Trafford and invaded the pitch before their clash with Liverpool was due to go ahead on May 2, resulting in its postponement, and ahead of the rescheduled fixture on Thursday night they chose to protest once more.

This time United were better equipped with extra security measures and a larger police presence, meaning the demonstration did not have any effect on the game.

And according to The Athletic, United chiefs came up with a top-secret plan to ensure the players arrived at Old Trafford in one piece.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad usually stay at the Lowry Hotel before home gamers, allowing time for group meetings and sleep before they travel to the stadium via bus.

That journey to Old Trafford only takes around 10 minutes, but it is believed United stars instead drove themselves there on Thursday night to ensure there was no possibility of being delayed entry due to the protests.

Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood were among those spotted driving into the stadium from 2pm.

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As a result, United staff turned the corporate boxes in their Bobby Charlton Stand into bedrooms to help players who were recovering after also playing in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester.

Then, to throw fans who were hellbent on disrupting the match off, two empty buses made dummy runs from Old Trafford to the Lowry, as on the afternoon of a night game players are typically picked up from the stadium and taken to the hotel for a few hours.

In the end United's meticulous planning did not help them on the pitch, as they slumped to a second defeat in the space of 48 hours against Liverpool.

Roberto Firmino's brace and goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah sealed a 4-2 win for the Reds.

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