Fake bomb that caused Old Trafford evacuation identified as 'training device'

The suspect package that saw Manchester United's Premier League game with Bournemouth at Old Trafford abandoned on Sunday was in fact a dummy device left behind following a training exercise held at the ground four days earlier, police announced.

In a development that will prove hugely embarrassing to the club, Greater Manchester Police confirmed late on Sunday that the controlled explosion that took place to neutralise the device was carried out on a dummy 'bomb' left in toilets in the Stretford End on Wednesday.

GMP Assistant Chief Constable John O'Hare said: "Following today's controlled explosion, we have since found out that the item was a training device which had accidentally been left by a private company following a training exercise involving explosive search dogs.

"Whilst this item did not turn out to be a viable explosive, on appearance this device was as real as could be, and the decision to evacuate the stadium was the right thing to do, until we could be sure that people were not at risk."

The Premier League confirmed that the rescheduled fixture, the clubs' last of the season, will now be played on Tuesday, with an 8:00pm (1900 GMT) local kick-off time.