The new 2011/12 Premier League football season is now officially just under a month away – which means new football kits are being released thick and fast.

And today, Nike have unveiled the new Manchester United Away kit and SportLocker has some exclusive imagery for you!

This season Manchester United will play in a striking blue and black away kit, inspired by the blue kits worn in several of their most famous victories, including the 1948 FA Cup final and the 1968 European Cup final.

The pattern of the shirt is modelled on a previous United away shirt, which consisted of red and white hoops and was worn for seven seasons between 1932 and 1939.

There are exactly eleven stripes in each hoop to represent each member of the United team.

The away shorts are entirely black except for the same hoop from the shirt consisting of eleven midnight navy blue and black stripes being featured at the bottom of the back of each leg.

As for the socks, they are black with a small white devil from the club crest on the calf and a royal blue band at the top.

The light weight kits (13% lighter than previous versions) actively regulate the players’ body temperature on the pitch to keep them dry and cool at all times through use of Nike Dri-FIT technology – which draws sweat away from the player’s body through the material where it can evaporate.

Temperature regulation is helped by ventilation zones, consisting of hundreds of tiny laser cut holes from the under arms to the waistband – allowing air to circulate to keep players dry, cool and comfortable.

For the first time the club crest on the front of the shirt is heat transferred, making it even lighter and crucially allowing this area to now be ventilated as well.

The shirt has a new aerodynamic fit this season, now slimmer and more athletic, providing 17% more stretch than the Manchester United shirt of two years ago.

A bonded hem also offers a streamlined look that reduces irritation caused by chafing.

And as with all Nike’s new football kit releases, the new away kit is made from the brand’s ground-breaking recycled polyester – which for the first time includes both shirt and shorts.

Each complete kit is made up of up to 13 reclaimed plastic water bottles. This new manufacturing process reduces energy consumption by up to 30% compared to manufacturing traditional polyester and saves nearly 100 million plastic water bottles from being dumped at landfill sites.

The kit is available to buy from July 15. For more information visit www.nikefootball.com 

But what do you think of the new kit? Is it as nice as the white one from last season? Have your say in the comments section below or via our Facebook and Twitter pages.