Manchester United have reintroduced concessionary rates for two of their upcoming Premier League fixtures.

United have come in for criticism after they made the decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66-per-game, scrapping their concessionary rates.

The club said the increase will only affect a small number of fans as 97 per cent of tickets have already been sold but the remaining tickets were set to be subject to the increase.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke to United We Stand on the matter and said: "I was brought up on a council estate in Manchester, I absolutely get that. I don't want to end up in a position where the genuine local fans can't afford to come, but I do want to optimise the ticketing. We need to find a balance. And you can't be popular all the time either.

"Here, we're talking about three per cent of the tickets. That's not the issue. The issue, as you say, is whether this is the thin edge of the wedge. I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham."

Despite the decision, concessionary rates will be available for some of the club's upcoming Premier League games as they aim to avoid a relegation battle.

The official United site confirms concessionary rates are on offer for the clashes with Southampton on January 16 and Ipswich Town on February 26. The message displayed on the ticketing section for both games reads: "As we have received additional tickets due to low uptake of contractual allocations, age related, and seat location discounts are now available for this game."

Southampton and Ipswich are in the bottom three and United need to beat both teams to ensure they are not dragged even closer to the relegation zone.