Ranking Manchester United's Best Change Kits of the Premier League Era
Manchester United have revealed their change kit for next season, and it is lovely. The design is a nod to one of their most iconic kits, the pre-Premier League 1990-92 blue-and-white Adidas affair with interlocking gradients. United blog The Peoples Person's Twitter account described the latest reveal as what would happen "if United's 1990-92 away kit and 1993-95 away kit had a baby."
It immediately heads to at least near the top of the charts for the best away kits the Red Devils have worn during the Premier League era. But before this one becomes eligible, we decided to take a look at the three worst and seven best kits United have worn since the Premier League began in 1992.
It's time for some serious fashion analysis.
3rd-Worst: Ill-Advised Stripes, 1994-96
1 of 10
Blue-and-white stripes. It's just not right. It's just not United. With few exceptions—one of which will get a mention later—United's blue change kits have not been their best. It's just wrong to see the Reds go marching on in blue.
Occasionally, the designers have managed to transcend this problem by producing a kit nice enough that its blueness is not a problem, but the 1994-96 third kit was not one of those occasions. You have to go some to make '90s Roy Keane and '90s Eric Cantona look uncool.
It sort of looks alright on a hanger, but once you put it on a footballer, it is just too busy. The front and back panels have different width stripes, which was the kind of thing that seemed normal in the '90s, but it just dates the kit badly, as diversions from the classic approach tend to.
A classic team, but not a classic kit.
2nd-Worst: Making Gold Look Drab, 2001/02
2 of 10
Gold. It conjures up images of victory, something that was entirely appropriate for United ahead of the 2001/02 season. There was little they had not achieved by that point.
Sound in theory, then, but in practice, they ended up looking like they had got lost on the way to Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. It was just all a bit drab rather than the shiny and exciting colour you would hope for from a kit designed to celebrate United's status as serial winners—and the 100th anniversary of the name change from Newton Heath LYR Football Club to Manchester United.
Decent idea, but poor execution.
Worst: Grey Mistake, 1995/96
3 of 10
Sir Alex Ferguson had an incredible ability to find a public excuse for any poor performance on the part of his players. But his piece de resistance was the reason this kit is consigned to history as United's worst change strip of the Premier League era.
In April 1996, United went to Southampton on an incredible winning streak, marching toward Premier League glory. Unfortunately, by half-time, they were losing 3-0, and in an unprecedented move, their manager made them change their kit.
After the game he explained, per Sky Sports: "The players don't like the grey strip. The players couldn't pick each other out. They said it was difficult to see their team-mates at distance when they lifted their heads. It was nothing to do with superstition."
For making humans invisible, the infamous grey kit goes down as the worst in the club's recent history.
With the bad ones out of the way, let's take a look at what made the good list.
7. Blue Kit, 2005/06
4 of 10
This is the one blue kit that makes the good list. It's not amazing, hence its spot at No. 7, but it is decent. The cut is very mid-2000s baggy—ideal for supporters, but perhaps a little blousy for the players. The red notes around the shoulders and cuffs are a nice touch.
And the team that wore it was a team in the midst of a nascent resurgence from the difficult mid-2000s into the all-conquering late-2000s. The kit immediately brings to mind peak Wayne Rooney. For that, it sneaks in at No. 7.
6. Newton Heath Revisited, 1992-94
5 of 10
For United's 115th anniversary, they returned to the classic green and gold of Newton Heath. The detailing around the laces with the alternate green-and-gold panels is nice—and it has a Cantona-friendly collar.
It is perhaps a little on the brash side for 21st century tastes, but since it harked back to the 19th century, that is forgivable. That it coincided with United's return to the top of the English game adds a certain sheen to its bright colours.
5. The Chevron Works Away from Home, 2009-11
6 of 10
The equivalent home kit to this is one of the worst in the club's recent history. There is something about the black chevron mucking up the clean lines of the red home shirt that grates. Perhaps it is that Michael Owen wore it with the No. 7 on his back, or perhaps it is more about design preference.
Where the chevron worked, though, was in blue set against black in this fine away strip. Even the sponsor's cartoonish logo cannot ruin the strong design work here, and the blue trim on the shorts is a nice touch that enhances the effect of the chevron.
A fine piece of work.
4. White, Red and Black, 2010/11.
7 of 10
It would seem that Nike's design department was firing on all cylinders between 2009 and 2011, because even better than the previous away kit is this lovely second-choice affair from the following season. By this point, the cut had moved into a more form-fitting era and the colour scheme is a lovely nod to the tricolour flags waved by United fans.
It is infamously associated with Champions League disappointment, but United did win the league in 2010/11, and the kit brings to mind images of Wayne Rooney celebrating after he offered that brief moment of hope on an otherwise tough day at Wembley Stadium against Barcelona.
Aside from that, the kit is a simple beauty—probably the best kit that Nike designed for United.
3. A Return to the Classics, 2015/16
8 of 10
While we have seen that Nike did pull off the odd decent kit, in truth, the brand's sartorial reputation was not that great among many of the United faithful. There may be an impassioned debate about whether Manchester is red or blue, but no one disagrees that Manchester is Adidas.
The kit deal that saw Adidas replace Nike as United's kit provider was the most valuable in history and thus has an important commercial component. But for a lot of United fans, it was just nice to have a kit with three stripes on it again. Adidas recognised that legacy and went simple with its return designs. This white away top was reminiscent of the all-time classic mid-'80s approach, and it looked great.
Shame about that sponsor's logo, mucking it all up, but you can't have everything.
2. White and Black, 1999 and All That
9 of 10
Football kits are inseparable from the football that is played in them.
In absolute terms, this kit is a fine example of '90s design experimentation finding a balance with more classic, timeless design principles. There is a lot going on—the left leg of the shorts having a band of red and white on it for the manufacturer's logo being a good example. But the lines are clean, and the colours are those most associated with United. Also it has a nice tricolour collar.
But never mind all that. This kit, which United sported from 1997 to 1999, immediately brings to mind Ryan Giggs tearing through the Arsenal defence in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay, and that is a goal that would make any kit look good.
This was the shirt Giggs twirled above his head. For that alone, it deserves its lofty spot.
1. Sharp Viewcam, 1993-95
10 of 10
While the 1994-96 third kit was the aforementioned striped abomination, the overlapping 1993-1995 second kit was an utter beauty. It marked a commercial departure from the norm, as it advertised a specific product in the sponsor's range, but that's by the by.
All black with yellow-and-blue detailing, a fantastic badge housed in a grand-looking surround, and that collar, that perfect collar with the yellow-and-blue stripes. There is nothing wrong with this kit, and it helps that the side that wore it was defined by exciting, combative football. This was a kit worthy of Cantona.
A worthy winner, and a worthy part-inspiration for the latest incarnation of United's on-the-road wear.
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