A MANCHESTER United fan from Little Hulton has been jailed for his part in a fight with rival footballer supporters during a Champions League game in Italy.

Michael Burk, aged 35, has been jailed for two years and five months, said a British Embassy spokesman in Rome.

Burk was arrested on December 12, together with three other Manchester United supporters, after fighting with AS Roma fans before the group game in the Italian capital.

He was charged with violent behaviour and resisting arrest after skirmishes broke out on the Duca d'Aosta bridge near the Stadio Olimpico, a well-known hangout for Roma's hardline supporters or "Ultras".

Italian media reports at the time suggested the four men were part of a group of around 60 supporters that broke away from an escort and made their own way to the stadium before hitting trouble.

Greater Manchester police provided spotters to work with Italian police outside the Stadio Olimpico. But there are conflicting reports as to whether they identified the four.

Italian riot police broke up fighting with two baton charges.

Five United fans were stabbed during skirmishes between a group of 50 rival fans on the Wednesday evening.

It is believed the four men were known to police in England but were not subject to any football banning orders.

The other men jailed were Nicholas Lucas, aged 18 who received the same sentence as Burk; Kyle Dillion, aged 23, from Mottram, near Hyde, and Richard Wimmer, aged 39. The two were jailed for two years and six months.

They will appear in court again on Monday where an appeals tribunal will decide whether or not to release them, the Embassy spokesman said.

This would mean they would serve suspended sentences and could mean they could be home for Christmas.

The teams drew 1-1, and both qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.