Manchester United selling pieces of Old Trafford pitch for £125

Manchester United has launched a new piece of memorabilia for supporters, selling small sections of the former Old Trafford playing surface for £125 each.

The turf was removed in June when the club undertook a complete excavation of the stadium's pitch, a process that had not been carried out in 14 years. Sections of the grass were preserved during the operation and have now been encased in seven-centimetre cubes.

The club has been promoting the items through direct emails to fans and across its social media channels. On the official website, the cubes are described as a way for supporters to keep a physical reminder of historic matches played at the ground.

This is not the first instance of the club monetising its old playing surface. In 1999, United offered a limited-edition paperweight containing grass from the stadium for £45.

The release of the new merchandise coincides with the publication of the club's latest financial results on Wednesday. Despite generating record revenues of £677.6 million, the club reported a net loss of £43 million, an increase from the £33 million loss recorded the previous year.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the club's debt has also continued to grow, driven by fluctuating interest rates and the refinancing of bonds earlier in the summer. The publication reports that club insiders acknowledge the need for ongoing financial discipline to stabilise the organisation's commercial operations.