United were hit by a furious backlash from fans after unveiling the cartoon-style crest last week. The Whites responded by pledging more consultations with supporters about the design, which was inspired by the so-called ‘Leeds salute’. Tonight the club issued a further statement asking fans to send in their own ideas for a new crest. Their submissions will be used in the drawing up of a shortlist of potential designs, with supporters then getting the chance to vote for their favourite. And the Yorkshire Evening Post understands that the Leeds salute crest will NOT be considered for inclusion on the shortlist. In the statement released this evening, United told supporters: “Using your ideas as inspiration, a small shortlist of refined designs will be chosen by fan panels and then go to a democratic vote amongst all our Season Ticket Holders and Members on Wednesday 21st February, with our new crest announced by the end of the month. “We remain committed to working with you to create an identity that we can all be proud of for the 2018-19 season and beyond.” United announced last Wednesday that the crest known as the ‘Ridsdale shield’ – which has been in use since the late 1990s – was being phased out. They said they were unhappy that it only features the initials LUFC rather than their full name. The club also said the Leeds salute design was the product of a six-month process during which the views of more than 10,000 people had been canvassed. But an online petition calling for United to scrap the new crest attracted tens of thousands of names in the space of a few hours, prompting a rethink on the part of the club. Some critics compared the design to a video game logo while others lamented the absence of a Yorkshire rose. United’s previous badges include one featuring an owl – a civic symbol of Leeds – and another from the 1970s that is known by fans worldwide as ‘the Smiley’. Fans can send crest ideas to the club via e-mail at crest@leedsunited.com. Supporters considering submitting a design have been told it will become the “intellectual property” of the club.