±±¾©Èü³µpk10

After , whether real or fake, and told the media that any official news relating to the club or players would be communicated via ManUtd.com, we asked members of the public if it was fair.

Older respondents said it wasn't. One woman, 48-year-old travel agent Lisa, said: "Just about everybody is using some sort of social networking site now. My mum's even gone on it. They're wrong to tell them [the players] that they can't use it."

Debbie, a 50-year-old sales assistant, said: "In their spare time, they can do what they want. But they get huge amounts of money, so they should be playing football."

George, an electronics engineer aged 50, said: "It's a free country. If you want to go on Twitter, then go on Twitter."

However, younger people tended to be more on the side of the club. Paul, a 29-year-old buyer, said: "They are contracted to the club, so they have to have a certain amount of respect to what the club's wishes are."

And 18-year-old student Andrew said it was fair, fearing that the players could harm their career if they said the wrong thing.