Man U 'garlic spray' Old Trafford stadium in bid to battle worms

Manchester United stars might have to endure the stench of garlic at the Old Trafford stadium next week after ground staff sprayed the pitch with the potent liquid in an attempt to fight off worms that are ruining the pitch.

According to the Daily Star, United, who spent a record 149 million pounds in the summer transfer window, will be hoping to overcome the smell quickly with new manager Louis van Gaal looking for his first Premier League win.

The team is set to play Queens Park Rangers next Sunday at the 75,000-seat Theatre of Dreams.

Groundkeepers often use liquid garlic sprays to drive away parasitic nematodes that live in the pitch's loose sand base.

This is not the first time that garlic has been used to ward off worms from a football pitch. Manchester City also had to use garlic in recent seasons to improve the pitch at the Etihad Stadium.

A similar approach was followed by groundkeepers to battle the maggots at Murrayfield before Scotland hosted England in the Six Nations rugby earlier this year.