Manchester United to cover Old Trafford in anti-shatter film to increase safety against terror attacks

Every window on Old Trafford's exterior will have the film applied this week in a bid to improve safety against a potential explosion

Manchester United have improved safety measures at Old Trafford following the Paris attacks last November (Getty Images)

Manchester United have taken measures to protect players, fans and staff in the event of an explosion outside Old Trafford after having every window of the stadium covered in an anti-shatter film, it has been revealed.

The Daily Mail claims that the Theatre of Dreams that the decision has been taken to improve safety at United’s home ground following the shocking scenes in Paris last November, when the Stade de France was targeted by terrorists as part of a series of explosions and gunfire across the French capital.

At the time, France were playing Germany in an international friendly, with players and fans held in the stadium after the match following a suicide bomb attack at one of the stadium’s gates. The noise of two explosions could be heard during the live broadcast of the match, which left the players visibly shaken as they were left uncertain what was unfolding outside of the ground.

Old Trafford will have an anti-shatter film applied to all of its windows (Getty Images)

The attack has led to United taking the decision to begin work on Old Trafford this week, with each window pane on the stadium’s exterior to have the protective film administered in a bid to stop the glass from shattering in the event of an explosion both inside and outside the building, preventing shards of glass from flying through the air.

Security measures across the Premier League were increased following the Paris attacks, with full body searches and extra police being deployed outside grounds, while fans were encouraged to arrive earlier than usual for matches. The increase in visible security follows the realisation that sporting events provide easy targets for terror attacks given the large populations – especially at professional football matches – with fears in Belgium and Germany even higher than in the United Kingdom.

Last November, following the Paris attacks, all French sport was suspended while the international friendly between Germany and the Netherlands was abandoned later in the month when a “concrete security threat” was made in the hours leading up to the match, though it later proved to be a false alarm.