Sources: Man Utd keep player locations secret

Manchester United are keeping the movements of their players top secret in a bid to make sure the rearranged fixture with Liverpool goes ahead, sources have told ESPN.

The club are concerned the team bus may be targeted in an effort to stop the players arriving at Old Trafford and forcing the game to be postponed for a second time.

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Security meetings have been scaled back to ensure only a handful of club employees know the whereabouts of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team ahead of Thursday’s clash at Old Trafford. The use of decoy buses outside different hotels has also been discussed.

The original fixture on May 2 was postponed after fans protesting against the Glazer family broke into Old Trafford. A smaller group of supporters also surrounded the team hotel, blocking roads and exits to prevent the bus from leaving.

United have a longstanding relationship with the Lowry Hotel in Salford, three miles from Old Trafford, to host the players and staff before home games although the squad were not seen arriving before the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday.

The club have also used the Hilton Garden Inn at the nearby Old Trafford cricket ground during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge when traffic around the stadium caused the players to arrive late to Champions League group games against Valencia and Juventus in 2018.

Security around Old Trafford has already been stepped up with barricades and gates erected on the forecourt outside the East Stand to prevent a repeat of the scenes that led to the postponement of the original fixture with Liverpool.