Manchester United scrambled to reinstate the season ticket of a fan with dementia after furious family members said his seat had been cancelled because he had no mobile phone.

In a complaint with a million views on social media, relatives claimed the grandfather, an Old Trafford regular for 45 years, had been entering using a paper ticket that could not be scanned.

Stewards had not registered the fan’s QR code as a result and, after five games without a record of his attendance, the family was informed his seat was refunded.

The club, however, moved quickly to resolve a potential embarrassment, speaking to relatives within an hour and reinstating the ticket. United ticket chiefs are also understood to have made “adjustments to standard entry protocols to assist him”.

One source with knowledge of the situation said claims shared on social media did not reflect exactly what had happened. The situation was described as “complicated”. Several emails from United went unanswered before a refund was issued.

When contacted by Telegraph Sport, the man’s family said they will establish what alternative ticket arrangements had been made by United before deciding whether to speak out on the matter again.

United supporters, however, welcomed the club’s decision to reinstate the ticket. “Good to hear this has now been resolved, but it should never have happened in the first place,” wrote the United Away fan account on X. “Well done to everyone who reached out and played their part. Football is nothing without fans.”

United fans have been on alert over ticket arrangements after supporter groups complained about the club increasing member tickets to £66 and removing concessions for children and pensioners.

MUST, which has more than 200,000 United fan members, immediately expressed fears of further hikes as part of the Ineos regime’s efforts to make United more financially sustainable. There have been ticket price rises for 19 of the 20 Premier League clubs over the past year or so.