FULL GROUND AT NIGHT

Their supporters continue to bemoan a lack of summer transfer activity, but Manchester United expect to house three capacity crowds in the region of 75,000 over the next nine days, with gate receipts of almost £9 million making it the type of week that the Glazer family dreamt of when they bought the club last summer.

A small number of executive seats have still to be sold for all three matches, but, with Old Trafford's capacity increased to 75,800, tomorrow evening's Barclays Premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur, followed by a Champions League meeting with Celtic on Wednesday and a resumption of hostilities with their old foes from Arsenal on Sunday week, are likely to bring United their three largest attendances at the stadium.

A total of about 225,000 spectators are expected to pass through the turnstiles over the course of the three games, with United generating about £2.8 million in match-day revenue on each occasion — more than £1.1 million of that figure from corporate sales.

Such numbers leave United confident of retaining their position as the most profitable club in Britain in terms of match-day revenue. Keith Edelman, Arsenal's managing director, suggested this year that the London club would generate “the highest gate income in the world” this season, with their move to the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium predicted to increase their match-day revenue from £33 million at Highbury to more than £70 million, but United remain hopeful that, even with lower ticket prices, they will beat those figures over the course of the season.

“The likelihood of three capacity crowds over the next week demonstrates that people are as keen as ever to come and watch Manchester United,” Phil Townsend, the club's director of communications, said.

Many United supporters, though, remain concerned about where their money is going. This is the third time that the club have talked of record-breaking figures in recent months — after a sponsorship deal with AIG in April that will earn them £56.5 million over the next four years and the sale of 64,000 season tickets — and yet their spending in the transfer market this summer was negligible.

The presence of Roman Abramovich eases any concerns Chelsea may have about ticket sales but they are losing out considerably to Manchester United in this area. While United take about £2.9 million a match from ticket income, including corporate hospitality, when all 76,000 seats at Old Trafford are sold out, the figure for Stamford Bridge, which accommodates 42,000 people, is half a million pounds or so less. Assuming 28 league and cup home matches, this would give United an extra £14 million a season compared with Chelsea, whose attempt to break even while paying world-class players to appear for them is thus more tricky.