Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased ticket prices at Manchester United once again, this time for an academy fixture. 

For those interested in watching United’s Under-21s face Athletic Bilbao in the Premier League International Cup at Old Trafford next week, adult tickets are priced at £10, while children’s tickets are available for £5.

This means that for a father and son, attending the match will cost £15, marking a significant 233% increase compared to ticket prices for academy games last year.

Tickets for fixtures at the Under-21s’ usual home ground of Leigh Sports Village have however remained free of charge this season. 

This price hike follows an earlier decision by Sir Jim, which caused outrage among Red Devils fans last season when first-team game tickets saw an increase.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has announced another increase in ticket prices at Manchester United

Adults will be charged £10 and children £5 to watch the club’s Under-21s take on Athletic Bilbao next week

The club had announced midway through last season that fans would now have to pay £66 for a seat at Old Trafford, leading to protests outside the stadium.

Defending the decision, the co-owner argued that it ‘doesn’t make sense’ for tickets at United to cost less than those at west London club Fulham. 

When questioned about the reaction from fans regarding the rise in ticket prices, Sir Jim commented to United We Stand magazine: ‘I empathize with them. Growing up on a council estate in Manchester, I totally understand their concerns.

I don’t want genuine local fans to be unable to attend due to cost, but there’s a need to optimize ticketing. We must strike a balance. You can’t please everyone all the time. This issue only affects about three per cent of the tickets, which is not the main problem.’

‘The issue, as you say, is whether this is the thin edge of the wedge. I don’t think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham.’

The club however later announced further changes in ticket prices and guidelines, making the decision to raise the cost of season tickets by five per cent in March.

It was a move once again met with backlash, with the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust expressing their disappointment that the club ignored calls to freeze all prices.  

MUST raised concerns over plans to relocate fans sitting behind the dugouts at Old Trafford and sell their seats at higher prices in a new VIP area, and also charge non-season ticket holders more for premium games using a match categorisation model.

The United co-owner was in the stands on Sunday as his side took a 3-0 thumping from Manchester City

Defending his decision to raise prices last year, Sir Jim argued ‘it doesn’t make sense’ for United tickets to be cheaper than those at Fulham

They also challenged United over an increase in the season ticket holder minimum usage requirement to 16 of the 19 Premier League games, the decision to impose a £10 charge on fans selling their tickets back to the club less than two weeks before the game, and a 15 per cent increase in car parking charges. 

United chief executive Omar Berrada said: ‘We appreciate the loyal and patient support of our fans, and particularly our season-ticket holders who represent the core of our match-going support base.

‘We understand the importance of their backing for the team and have worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable.

‘After 11 consecutive years of price freezes, we increased prices by five per cent for the past two seasons and intend to do the same for next season to offset continued rises in operating costs.

‘We understand that any price rise is unwelcome, especially during a period of underperformance on the pitch, and we listened carefully to the strong arguments put forward by the FAB (fans’ advisory board) in favour of a freeze.

‘However, the club has decided that it would not be right to keep prices unchanged while costs rise and the club continues to face financial issues.’

The latest ticket price hike comes amid a difficult start to the first-team’s season under Ruben Amorim

The latest decision to increase prices comes amid a hugely disappointing to start to the season for Ruben Amorim and the Man United first-team.

Having been knocked out by Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup, United sit fourteenth in the Premier League table after their opening four fixtures.

With pressure mounting on the United boss, their latest loss came on Sunday at the Etihad as Pep Guardiola’s Man City fired three past the struggling Red Devils in the derby.

United now face a difficult home fixture against Chelsea at the weekend.