Leeds United managing director Angus Kinnear has defended the club’s newly-designed club badge after it was slated by fans.

The Championship outfit unveiled their new-look crest on Wednesday afternoon, following six months of research and having consulted over 10,000 supporters.

But it was met by a strong negative reaction on social media, with fans slamming the absence of the Yorkshire rose and comparing it with the fictitious club badges in Pro Evolution Soccer.

READ MORE: New Leeds badge leaves plenty of fans ‘shocked’ and angry with the club

Kinnear joined host Jim White on talkSPORT soon after the announcement to explain the new design, and he said: “It’s what is known to all Leeds United fans as the ‘Leeds salute’.

“The ‘Leeds salute’ is something that has been with the club for decades – fans do it, players do it and it’s becomes a powerful symbol between the fans, the club and the players.

“We wanted to do something which was truly ownable by Leeds and although the people of Leeds are very proud to be from Yorkshire, the Yorkshire rose actually features on a lot of other club crests.

“So we thought, and the fans thought, that the ‘Leeds salute’ was truly ownable and something we could make famous.

“The consultation process has been a long one. In total we’ve spoken to over 10,000 fans and that’s been international fans, domestic fans, ex-players, members of our academy and their parents, and they have all really agreed with the sentiment to put the fans at the centre of our identity, to make Leeds stand out.

“What we do accept is when you make a change like this, you’re going to certainly divide fan opinion.

“Ultimately the badge of the team grows with a team and it’s something people get used to and learn to love as the team perform.

“We want this to be the badge the team wear in their first season back in the Premier League, and it’s going to be that journey that will help everyone adopt it.”

📸 | Our new crest #MOT #LUFC 6 months of research

10,000 people consulted

Ready for the next 100 years Watch video ➡️ https://t.co/rIIdL2Yz9F pic.twitter.com/pMrd3zTjCl — Leeds United (@LUFC) January 24, 2018

The club chief also insisted the new badge will NOT be scrapped if it proves to be unpopular with supporters.

Recently, Premier League side Everton ditched their newly-designed badge after just one season following fans protests.

But Kinnear insists the Whites’ new crest is here to stay.

“This is the decision,” he added.

“We’re confident we’ve spoken to enough people and that we’ve had enough feedback to know we’re on the right path.

“We accept that it’s going to take some time for people to get used to it, but we hope that they’ll get behind it.”

Listen to the full interview with Leeds United managing director Angus Kinnear on talkSPORT above