Man Utd owners want fans ‘to pay to be Marcus Rashford for 90 minutes’ in AR camera push

Manchester United reportedly want fans to pay a ‘small fee’ to experience games through the lens of their favourite players, as the Glazers push for Augmented Reality (AR) cameras to be worn on matchdays.

In a move reportedly driven by former CEO Ed Woodward and the Glazers, fans would “pay to be Marcus Rashford or Bruno Fernandes for 90 minutes”, with the United chiefs believing their vast global fanbase would be keen on the idea.

“The big idea, or maybe the big hope, that the Glazers have – and this was driven by Ed Woodward – is the emergence of Augmented Reality,” a source told ESPN.

“The technology is already out there whereby a player could have an AR wearable on his body and a supporter anywhere in the world could pay a small fee to experience a game through the eyes of his favourite player.

“Just imagine how much United could generate from their huge global fanbase if supporters were able to pay to be Marcus Rashford or Bruno Fernandes for 90 minutes?”

TNT Sports trialled bodycams for players earlier this season, with a player from each team wearing them during the warm-ups before Tottenham’s clash with Wolves in November, making near enough everyone who experienced it feel incredibly queasy.

Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans also wore one of the miniscule cameras in a pre-season game against Newcastle.

As things stand, in bad news for United and the Glazers, IFAB’s laws prevent players from wearing the technology during competitive games, but the Premier League are open to the idea of bringing fans closer to the players.

“Finding new ways to bring our fans closer to the action on the pitch is a key focus for us,” Premier League head of media operations and innovation, Rachael Nightingale, said when the cameras were worn before Wolves vs Spurs.

“After the success of the bodycam trials at the Premier League Summer Series, we are looking forward to seeing what results this test will deliver for TNT and our audiences around the world.”

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