Manchester United: The three plans for the new “Old Trafford”

Discussion over the future of ‘Old Trafford’ has finally begun at Manchester United, who are in the process of hiring a partner to assess the prospects and advise the club on the options that exist for their HQ over the coming decades.

The ‘red devils’ are open to all options regarding their historic headquarters, the Daily Mail reports, even tearing them down completely and rebuilding them from scratch on the same spot where it now sits. This is a plan that is much debated due to the competition, Arsenal and Tottenham have built their own stadium in recent years while the same is the plan of clubs like Everton and Chelsea (although the ‘blues’ have this project over time interrupted) .

The 112-year-old ‘Old Trafford’ is considered outdated compared to stadiums of other major Premier League teams and the interventions that have taken place so far are under-recognized. Therefore, there is an opportunity to build a new stadium, either on the exact same spot or in one of the adjacent areas that also belong to Manchester United.

If it is decided to rebuild the stadium, then the issue of the team’s temporary headquarters will have to be resolved. At Arsenal and Tottenham, ‘Wembley’ provided the solution, but for United there is no equivalent neutral headquarters nearby.

One solution to this scenario, according to the Telegraph, is to build the new stadium next to the existing one, allowing Old Trafford to be used normally by the team until the work is complete.

Another scenario is the remodeling of the South Stand, the oldest and smallest of the four on the pitch. The railway tracks running directly behind it prevented the expansion of the grandstand in the past. However, there is now the technology to extend the grandstands over the tracks without anything changing when the trains pass through. That’s the scenario the Glazer family reportedly favors for the next club day.

However, there is a third option whereby the framework of the stadium will remain in place, but there will be a major renovation of the spectator and VIP areas in all four stands of the stadium.

Management’s goal is to increase capacity from 74,414 seats (the largest in the category) to at least 80,000, regardless of the plan chosen. The team claims that there will be a public consultation with the fans, with the result that there is still plenty of time before the final decision is made.