Leeds United's bold new 'fruit salad' kit is mocked by fans for looking like the iconic chewy sweet - or Mr Blobby - after the club opted for a 'colourful peacock print' in the Championship

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Leeds United's new third kit launch has prompted an array of reactions from fans on social media - and not all of them good. 

The adidas shirt, which the club will sport against the backdrop of a spell in the Championship following relegation from the English top flight last season, has been created in collaboration with Acid FC, a design studio intent on 'shaking up football culture', and features an abstract peacock print in colourful rose, orange, and navy.

The design is purported to 'remove the shackles from tradition' and allow players and fans alike to express themselves with 'confidence and colour'. 

But response to the campaign - which features stars including Luke Ayling and Liam Cooper, and new recruit Ethan Ampadu - has been decidedly mixed, with the jury on social media out on the 'bold statement' of the club's kit. 

One fan noted the kit's resemblance to 90s TV icon Mr Blobby's memorable pink and yellow spots, adding that they had 'seen the new third kit somewhere else before'. 

Leeds United have launched their new third kit for the 2023-24 season - with divisive results

The club's campaign for the new jersey features stars including Luke Ayling (far left) and Ethan Ampadu (far right)

The club's bold abstract colours prompted comparisons to Fruit Salad sweets and Mr Blobby

Another dubbed Leeds 'Fruit Salad FC' in a reference to the pink-and-yellow swirled wrapper of the sweet shop classic. 

In keeping with the emerging pick-and-mix theme, one social media commentor posted: 'Looks like someone has scoffed a packet of refreshers and then vomited all over a shirt'. 

A fourth damning assessment wondered aloud if Leeds hadn't been inspired by the Leeds 2023: Year of Culture campaign, sharing a picture of a Leeds 8 bus wrapped in the decal. 

Fans were quick to draw connections, with one fan highlighting the similarity to the branding for Leeds' Year of Culture

Instead, the shirt's design gives a nod to the club's historic association with the peacock, which is said to stem from the name of a pub close to Elland Road called The Old Peacock. 

Both the pub and the ground were at one time owned by Bentley's Brewery, and the club's association with the exotic bird saw the peacock feature on Leeds' badge in the mid-1980s. 

Following relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, Leeds began their promotion campaign on Sunday. 

In the side's first competitive game under incoming manager Daniel Farke, the Whites were held to a 2-2 draw by Cardiff City.   

Daniel Farke oversaw his first competitive match at the helm of the Yorkshire club on Sunday

The Whites were held to a 2-2 draw with new Championship opponents Cardiff City at home