Manchester United condemn racist abuse of Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial on social media

United stars were targeted after shock defeat at home to Sheffield United

Manchester United's Axel Tuanzebe, left, and Anthony Martial have been subjected to racist abuse on social media in the wake of the defeat to Sheffield United. PA

Manchester United condemned the racial abuse of some of their players following the shock 2-1 Premier League home defeat by Sheffield United.

Sky Sports reported that former England under-21 defender Axel Tuanzebe and France forward Anthony Martial were targeted on Instagram, with several users posting racist comments and symbols on their pictures.

Tuanzebe also suffered abuse on Twitter, the report added.

"Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse received by players via social media after last night's game," Manchester United said in a statement.

"We utterly condemn it and it is encouraging to see other fans condemn this on social media also.

"Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our All Red All Equal initiative.

The club said "identifying these anonymous mindless idiots remains problematic" and urged social media platforms and regulatory authorities to strengthen measures to prevent players from being abused.

United are second in the Premier League with 40 points from 20 games, a point behind Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

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