A ticket tout who was caught with dozens of Manchester United season tickets has been banned from all UK football matches for five years.

Adam Connolly, 27, was arrested outside Old Trafford during the Reds’ clash with Everton on October 5, last year.

Police saw him selling to fans and when they searched him, they found 37 season tickets. Connolly was hauled before Trafford magistrates and has now been hit with a five-year football banning order.

It prevents him from attending any match in the UK, from going near Old Trafford, or visiting any town or city in the UK where Manchester United are playing.

Connolly, of Kenwick Drive, New Moston, was found guilty of the unauthorised sale of tickets at Trafford Magistrates Court on February 17.

Speaking after the hearing, Chief Insp Dean Howard said: “It is believed that Connolly formed part of a sophisticated and widespread touting operation and this banning order shows that we take a zero tolerance approach to such behaviour.

"The unregulated market driven by touts can lead to incidents of disorder within stadia and stops genuine fans from obtaining tickets unless they are willing to pay over inflated prices.”

“We work closely with Manchester United, and other football clubs, to stamp out this activity and encourage anyone who has any information regarding ticket touts to contact the police.”