The suspect package which led to Manchester United's Premier League game against Bournemouth being abandoned was a dummy device left over from a private company's training exercise.

Greater Manchester Police made the extraordinary announcement after a controlled explosion was carried out on the item at Old Trafford.

Police and security staff were forced to evacuate the stadium shortly before the scheduled 3pm kick-off on Sunday and the game was called off soon afterwards.

GMP said in a statement: “A suspicious item found at Old Trafford football stadium, which required a controlled explosion to be carried out, has now been identified as a training device.”

PA