Crowds at Old Trafford are much lower than

the official attendance announced by United on matchdays, according to new police data.

Figures from Greater Manchester Police revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show the club did not have a crowd over 70,000 for a Premier League match this season, until last week’s derby with City.

But United regularly announce attendances in excess of 75,000.

The police data shows the average Old Trafford attendance is 10,000 fewer than the figures announced.

The FOI request was lodged with Greater Manchester Police by Reds Away, which runs a travel and news website and blog for United fans.

Reds Away said that – in common with most other clubs – United under FA rules must publish an ‘official attendance’, which includes those who bought a ticket whether or not they actually went to the game.

Greater Manchester Police, however, keeps a record of actual numbers who pass through the turnstiles.

The figures reveal a startling number of ticket-holders who do not show up.

The figures show that 66,005 fans watched the first Premier League home game against Fulham this season, but the club said the attendance was 75,352.

United announced the attendance at January’s clash with Southampton as 75,600, but the police figures show the actual crowd was 59,766 – a difference of 15,834.

Barring the recent derby, the largest actual crowd for a league game inside Old Trafford was 69,933 for the Liverpool game in January.

United recorded an attendance of 75,501.

The data covers all competitions, including the Champions League.

The police figures reveal just 33,409 watched the Capital One cup game against Newcastle in September, with the club claiming a gate of 46,358.

The largest disparity was revealed at United’s Champion’s League game with Cluj in December.

The GMP figures recorded a crowd of just 46,894, with the club claiming an attendance of 71,521.

This year’s record crowd came at the ill-fated Real Madrid Champions League tie last month, where the police figures reveal 72,299 fans attended. The club’s figure was 74,959, 2,660 higher.