The new Adidas Manchester United third shirt is here – and by jove, it's absolutely stunning.
It's been a mixed bag from the last two Red Devils jerseys, with the rose-patterned home shirt being an absolute belter and the olive-striped away top being a little more marmite. So here's the third act, celebrating one of the great icons of the club and featuring the real Roy Keane in the promo material.
Is this the nicest of all the Premier League shirts released this season? Where does this one rank among the best kits in Europe?
FFT's verdict
The Adidas Manchester United third shirt is the definitive United away top
Manchester United are back in white – well, "Cloud White", the shade used for Arsenal's last white shirt – and this one might well be the nicest for years. While last year's effort played with the Adidas stripes and included diamonds in the collar, this one is even more stripped back.
You wouldn't think it's possible to be much more minimal with a white top that included black and red detailing, would you? Yet this one not only simplifies things with a plain, crimson collar – mirroring the collar of the home shirt – it takes just the Red Devil from the United badge, as the club celebrate 50 years of the iconic crest. The new Adidas logo and the enlarged Team Viewer logo really help, by the way – and the white Adi stripes are inspired, here.
It's one of the most iconic badges in world football but the last time that Manchester United updated it, they were only one-time winners of the European Cup – back in 1998. The badge isn't dated as such but its simplicity on this shirt really does highlight how much times have changed.
United's brand is so strong that changing the badge permanently could be tricky. Here, this particular shirt feels special because it dials back an icon to its bare necessity.
With such a divisive away shirt, surely Adidas have created something with the third top that no fan could possibly hate. It's clean, crisp and simplicity personified.
If it makes Roy Keane (almost) smile, you're onto a winner…
Where to buy
Shirt info
What's the sizing like with the Adidas Manchester United third shirt 23/24?
The sizing with all Adidas football kits is very natural – not too tight in any places, apart from perhaps around the cuffs on short sleeve shirts, if you have big arms.
Adidas have a full size guide here.
What is the difference between the authentic and regular versions of the Adidas Manchester United third shirt 23/24?
The authentic version of the shirt is the official jersey that the players will wear for matches. The only differences are minimal, usually in the material being slightly different and the badges and logos being woven into the shirt rather than printed on.
"Made with Parley Ocean Plastic, new ultra-breathable 3D engineered fabric 'HEAT.RDY' technology, triangle-shaped 'Authentic' badge, 3 stripes tape execution on the shoulders, the Authentic jerseys introduce new technologies to a future iconic football jersey silhouette," says Adidas. Now you know.
If you want to pay extra for that added quality, you can buy the authentic shirt here. In terms of design or feel though, the regular version of the top is perfectly good and just the same to the naked eye.
