Manchester United denies reports of ambitious expansion plans

Following earlier reports from Marketing magazine that Manchester United had partnered with digital agency SapientNitro to design a new 'branded global social network and media outlet', the club has today issued this statement on its official website:

"Further to reports about the Club appointing an agency to create a social media platform, this story is completely inaccurate. There has been no such agency appointment."

The initial report from Marketing, which has since been denied by Manchester United, suggested that over the next two years the Premier League would slowly implement a global digital platform with SapientNitro handling all aspects of Manchester United's digital strategy, with a particular focus on the team's Asian fanbase.

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As one of the biggest brands in world sport, much has been made of Manchester United's relatively limited digital offering. Though the club currently has over 20 million fans on Facebook it has no official Twitter account and ranked eighth in Lewis Communications' recent list of the most social media savvy Premier League clubs owing to the limited interaction between Manchester United and its fans.