Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira were not named in the Rest of the World team for the charity match against a Great Britain and Ireland XI at Old Trafford on Saturday, with Manchester United tightening security at the stadium following the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening.

While David Beckham was the GB & I XI captain as expected, Luís Figo replaced Zidane in the role for the Rest of the World and neither the former Real Madrid midfielder nor Vieira in the matchday squad.

A statement from organisers said: “In light of the tragic events in Paris last night some of the players who were set to take part in today’s Match for Children at Old Trafford unfortunately were not longer able to participate. Our thoughts go out to the victims and families.”

On the decision to go ahead with the game a statement from United read: “Following last night’s terrorist attacks, Manchester United and the organisers of today’s Unicef Match For Children have been in consultation with Greater Manchester Police and the decision has been made for today’s game to go ahead as planned.

“As a precautionary measure the club and GMP will be implementing extra security procedures and as with any match-day, the safety of fans is the utmost priority.

“We ask fans attending the game to arrive early and not to bring a bag to the stadium unless it is absolutely necessary. As with normal match-day security procedures, all bags will be searched, which may cause a delay in entering the stadium. We thank fans for their patience during this time.

“Our sincerest condolences go out to those affected by last night’s tragedy and our thoughts are with the citizens of Paris.”