Man Utd fans protest against Glazers before and during the Aston Villa match

Manchester United fans protested against the Glazer family before and during Sunday’s Premier League game against Aston Villa.

Friday was the third, and it is expected to be final, deadline for interested parties to submit purchase offers for the club.

Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe submitted offers to the Glazers, who have faced fury from United fans since their leveraged takeover in 2005.

The 1958, a group of United fans who rose to prominence last year, has led new protests and held another before the home game against Villa.

Starting from central Manchester, the march continued towards Old Trafford as fans held up a giant banner reading ‘Full $ale Only’.

Smoke from the flares outside billowed through the concourses and filled the air inside Old Trafford as the players warmed up.

The 1958 also called for an 18-minute game boycott: “one minute for every year the Glazers have brought our club to the ground.” There were a few empty seats visible at kick-off, but Old Trafford was nearly full.

Anti-owner chants rang out early on and images emerged of manager Erik ten Hag briefly holding a green and gold scarf after Sunday’s 1-0 win.

Asked if the underlying anger could make things difficult for his team, the United manager said: “We really felt the fans were behind us.

“So, we have to focus to be successful because that is what the fans expect and can expect.

“They have to trust us, so we will focus on that.

“I’m sure when we keep up the performances like we’ve done all season, the fans are behind us and there’s a lot of energy and I think there’s a very strong bond between the fans and the players.”