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Picture special: Manchester United kick off £750m kit deal with retro 1980s look

Expectations high at Old Trafford as Daley Blind and Phil Jones launch the new adidas shirt

Daley Blind launches the new United kit

Daley Blind and Phil Jones launched the new Manchester United shirt at midnight and the rest of the squad joined in the fun by modeling it.

Fans queued throughout the night in London and Manchester to get their hands on the kit, the first one in the £750m world record deal signed with adidas.

Great expectations: Juan Mata (left), Bastian Schweinsteiger (centre) and Ander Herrera show their colours
Great expectations: Juan Mata (left), Bastian Schweinsteiger (centre) and Ander Herrera show their colours
Luke Shaw in the new United kit
Luke Shaw in the new United kit
Manchester United trio Ashley Young (left), Juan Mata (centre) and Daley Blind in the new adidas shirts
Manchester United trio Ashley Young (left), Juan Mata (centre) and Daley Blind in the new adidas shirts
United's Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera
United's Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera

The shirt is simple in design, the white v-neck and three stripes down the sleeve straight out of Ron Atkinson's FA Cup-winning teams, but the motto “Breaking Expectations” shows how much the club expects in the future.

Without a trophy since the 2013 Premier League, United are back in the Champions League after a season out of Europe.

James Wilson drives forward
James Wilson drives forward
Phil Jones launched the new Manchester United kit
Phil Jones launched the new Manchester United kit
Manchester United winger Ashley Young
Manchester United winger Ashley Young

Adidas designer Inigo Turner said: “We have been on a real journey in creating these new kits. It is with the iconic kits of the past that we drew our inspiration from. 

“We aimed to break expectations by re-engineering simple but impactful design features such as classic v-neck collar and the iconic three-stripe detailing down the arms as our commitment to giving United a truly ground-breaking kit.”

And United managing director Richard Arnold, a key figure in the kit deal, said: “Everyone at United is very proud of the shirt's classic design, which draws on the club's iconic kits of yesteryear.” 

That was then: Ray Wilkins in the 1982 Manchester United kit
That was then: Ray Wilkins in the 1982 Manchester United kit