The term United exclusively used outside of Sheffield to only refer to Manchester United has been discussed today in the Times.
Les Snowden , Head of Sport says "United may appear too often in headlines, but we use it because we believe it is accepted in British football as a credible contraction of Manchester United. We've always called the two Manchester clubs by their 'surnames'. The only other club we call 'united' is Sheffield United, again to distinguish them from their city rivals. Man U feels too 'tabloidy' for The Times."
The article is much more than this so you may enjoy the read.
Les Snowden , Head of Sport says "United may appear too often in headlines, but we use it because we believe it is accepted in British football as a credible contraction of Manchester United. We've always called the two Manchester clubs by their 'surnames'. The only other club we call 'united' is Sheffield United, again to distinguish them from their city rivals. Man U feels too 'tabloidy' for The Times."
The article is much more than this so you may enjoy the read.