Manchester United have been urged to reconsider their plans to completely knock down Old Trafford.
United unveiled plans to build a new 100,000-seat stadium, at a cost of £2billion, more than a year ago.
3
This would see Old Trafford knocked down and a new stadium built close by.
The club recently confirmed it would be funded privately and not at the taxpayers’ expense.
The precise details are yet to be agreed, but there is a general location that is adjacent to the current stadium.
It is a situation very much in flux at the moment with United yet to purchase the land required to complete the project.
Should Man United keep Old Trafford?
The stadium plans were a topic of discussion on eSPORTY’s latest Inside Devils YouTube show.
eSPORTY pundit, and Man United fan, Angelina Kelly argued that United should think about keeping the old stadium, as well as building a new one, but reducing its size.
She said: “I have been a little bit on the fence with this one. I can understand why people would want a shiny new stadium, why you would want something that keeps up with some of the top clubs in world football.
“Especially with the World Cup in the summer, you see some of those amazing stadiums in the US. You see what Barcelona and what Real Madrid have done with their stadiums.
“I understand people wanting something better. We know the roof’s leaking. We know that the food ain’t great. We know that there’s rats and mice and all that stuff going on.
“I’m sure all Man United fans would relate to this, but for me as a Manc, as a Salfordian, the idea of it not being Old Trafford, it not being that same stadium, that does hurt my heart. That does make me feel sad because there is so much history there. And people still love that stadium.
3
“I remember speaking to Morgan Rogers at an event and he was saying that one of the places that he likes to go is Man United because it does just have that aura.
“I just think it would be a shame for it to not be Old Trafford anymore. But I also understand people wanting something shiny and new. I would just have reservations about what they’re going to do with it.
“I would like to see it taken down and the capacity maybe reduced a little bit and it’d be something for the under-21s, the Manchester United women’s team, who I think with the growth of women’s football could be playing in a 100,000-seat stadium.
“I don’t see why that isn’t a possibility in the future. At the moment, those sides playing at Leigh Sports Village, which is a rugby pitch, is a complete and utter joke.
“So I think if it was used for something like that, it’d maybe soften the blow.
“I’m a little bit on the fence in that sense. Depends what it looks like as well.”
Inside Devils on eSPORTY
There’s nowhere else that does Manchester United like eSPORTY.
Stay ahead of every tactical shift, manager sacking and transfer rumour by making eSPORTY’s Inside Devils show your weekly go to for all things Man United.
Subscribe now to ensure you never miss a beat of the action one episode at a time, sponsored by BetMGM.
Download the app or visit BetMGM.co.uk. 18+gambleaware.org
What progress has been made?
Although building work has not begun, the club says there has been progress behind the scenes.
Collette Roche, Manchester United’s CEO of New Stadium Development, said: “We’ve made a lot of progress over the last 12 months but to be fair a lot of it has been behind the scenes so people might not have seen that.
“First and foremost, on the land assembly, we want to make sure we get the best possible position for the stadium, one which has plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that is connected and offers a great matchday experience.
3
“I have been spending a lot of time talking to all of the local land owners to understand where that needs to be and we are progressing that really, really well. I am hoping to be able to share some positive news on that front in the next few months.”
Roche also clarified the timeline for the new stadium, reiterating that it would take between four and five years to build once construction has started.
The club has not named a target date for opening but insists it is ‘on track’.
