There have been violent clashes on the streets of Manchester ahead of the clash between and Rangers.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they were called to 'low level disorder' on Great Ancoats Street. Numerous police vans and TAU vans have been seen blocking the road with dozens of officers on scene, with GMP saying their presence was called to the area to 'keep the peace'.
Video footage of the incident shows groups of people dressed in black fighting in the street while police attempt to keep them apart. According to the Manchester Evening News, a number of arrests have been made with bottles having been thrown. At least ten police vans and TAU officer vans were at the scene controlling the crowds.
A witness living nearby told the MEN that glass bottles were hurled at police and oncoming traffic this evening. It has not yet been confirmed how many pople were arrested.
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The problems continued once the fans were inside Old Trafford. Around 25 police officers were called to the home end to move a chanting group of Rangers fans and escort them back towards the away stand.
Rangers fans had been urged to consider their travel plans for Thursday's game, with Storm Eowyn approaching the mainland UK, bringing heavy rain and gusts of wind up to 100mph. A red 'danger to life' weather warning has been put in place across the central belt in .
While Manchester itself is expected to only have lighter winds, much of the north of England is under an amber alert. The incoming weather led to several train companies, including Avanti WestCoast and TransPennine Express, urging passengers not to travel.
Normally, there's a regular direct service between Manchester from Glasgow Central, while it's also straightforward enough to change at Preston and continue the journey to either city. But on Friday there will be no trains running north of Preston.
Any fans looking to use the East Coast Line have also been warned there will be no services north of from 11am tomorrow morning. With Thursday's game not kicking off until 8pm, fans would not be able to get a train home that night.
And both TPE and Avanti are warning travel will be severly disrupted on Friday. An Avanti West Coast representative said: "We're advising customers not to travel north of Preston or on our North Wales route on Friday, January 24, due to the expected disruption by Storm Éowyn."
A TransPennie Express spokesperson added: "The has issued multiple weather warnings for high winds across the UK on Friday, January 24. The arrival of Storm Eowyn is expected to cause widespread disruption across the rail network.
"Due to predicted gale-force winds across the North of England and Scotland brought by Storm Eowyn, we are urging customers not to travel between the following locations on Friday, January 24."
Network Rail have defended the decision to close a huge section of the railway. Their Industry Weather Response Director Lisa Angus said: “The decision to close parts of the railway is never one that we take lightly, but the safety of passengers and our staff is our top priority.
"We have been preparing for the severe impacts of Storm Éowyn all week and will have scores of workers ready to deal with any incidents which occur, such as flash flooding or fallen trees and other items blocking the tracks.
“We ask residents living by the railway to tie down loose garden items, like trampolines or gazebos, which pose a risk of blowing onto the railway and could cause further unnecessary delays for passengers and freight services.”
The official programme cover for Manchester United v Rangers has been revealed, and it is paying tribute to 'The King', Denis Law. As well as the cover, there will be special features inside dedicated to the Manchester United and Scotland legend. Copies will be available at Old Trafford on matchday .