Manchester United Unveil 2012/13 Away Kit, Introduce Monochromatic Crest

Manchester United have unveiled their away kit for the 2012/13 season.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side will play their away matches in white shirts and black shorts this season. The shirt has a red trim on the sleeves and the neck tapering down to the button closure on the chest. The shorts share the gingham pattern of the new home shirt while the white socks also feature a red trim.

The kit features a black monochromatic crest to complement the design. United's iconic devil features on the shirt's outer back neck graphic and also on the shorts and the socks. The new strip was launched in Cape Town at The Castle, which is the oldest building in South Africa, where the United squad are currently on a pre-season tour.

United goalkeepers will wear blue gingham shirts for their away trips and along with the release of the kit, the club also released a gallery of images showing a host of players, including Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Danny Welbeck sporting the new shirt.

Incidentally, the new away strip will also be the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly kit to date as they are made from recycled polyester. The strips are made out of 23 percent lighter fabric with 20 percent stronger knit structure than the previous kits.

Interestingly, Ferguson reportedly insisted that one of United's three strips should be white for next season. It is believed that the Scot's demand was based on visual requirements, as players could pick out each other easily in white strips. Ferguson is one those managers who gives a lot of importance to the kits his players wear. In April 1996, with United trailing Southampton 0-3 at half-time at The Dell, Ferguson forced his players to change strips and blamed the grey kit for the team's poor performance. He said his players got camouflaged out on the pitch by blending into the fans in the background.

You can buy the new United away kit at store.manutd.com

Take a look at United's away strip for the 2012/13 season here:

What do you think of it? And will it see the club winning their 20th league title?