Man United set decision date over whether to replace Old Trafford with new stadium

Club officials have spoken about a potential rival to Wembley for the north of England 

Miguel Delaney

Chief Football Writer

Manchester United are exploring options to keep parts of the current Old Trafford stadium, potentially for the women’s and academy teams, should they press ahead with the construction of a new stadium. Such plans would see the club retain iconic elements of the historic ground, especially the pitch, on which so much of United’s mythology has taken place.

United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffewants the club to decide on stadium plans by December after a recent review, and the petrochemicals billionaire personally favours the construction of a new 100,000-seater stadium next to the current Old Trafford.

That could mean parts of the old stadium being retained in order to house teams beyond the men’s first team, but also as crucial recognition of the club’s rich history.

While there are a number of potential proposals currently being assessed for the site, the Independent has been told that one more romantic plan gathering support is for a new state-of-the-art arena to sit alongside a scaled down Old Trafford. The latter would still have the historic pitch and other elements important to the club’s history. The site similarly features many memorials to the Busby Babes and the Munich air disaster.

The primary issue is that the plan would essentially mean two hugely expensive construction projects at once, since it would entail the redevelopment of the existing stadium to reduce capacity alongside the building of a completely new arena.

That would subsequently require the upkeep of two stadiums at the same time, which is why the more fanciful plan of keeping Old Trafford in its entirety can’t really be considered.

Even a scaled-down Old Trafford alongside a new stadium brings huge challenges, as it would require both an innovative engineering plan and huge expense. The idea is currently seen as just a concept for now, as the club continues to explore what next. The most viable proposal along these lines, however, is for a reduced Old Trafford to sit in what amounts to a grander club complex while potentially serving as a home for the women’s and academy teams.

As expensive and difficult as that would be, it is all the more attractive since it is seen as solving the question of how the club respects its history while also having a new stadium.

Architectural firm Populous and entertainment company Legends International were employed to look at feasibility options for Old Trafford in 2022, with those options eventually presented by the club to the Fan Advisory Board. Populous designed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a development which immediately drew admiration from the United hierarchy, while similarly sparking plans about what might be possible on their historic site.