MANCHESTER UNITED’S iconic Old Trafford may be deconstructed a year after moving into their brand new stadium.
United revealed images and graphics of the 100,000-seater super ground worth a staggering £2billion they are planning to build near their current home.
EPAManchester United’s Old Trafford may be deconstructed a year after moving[/caption]
PAMan Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has yet to make a final decision about Old Trafford[/caption]
The Red Devils’ minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is targeting the 2030-31 season for the move to the “New Trafford” stadium.
The plan is to continue playing at Old Trafford until the permanent switch.
Foster + Partners, the firm hired to design the new stadium as well as the renovation of Carrington training complex, insist Man Utd would not spend a day away from Old Trafford during construction.
According to Manchester Evening News, the architects also suggested that their legendary ground could be demolished within a year.
The Manchester giants explored the possibility of keeping Old Trafford as a mini stadium that would host women’s and academy matches, but that idea appears to have been scrapped.
United chief executive Omar Berrada stated that a final decision regarding Old Trafford has yet to be taken but added it’s “unlikely” they will keep it in operation.
Berrada said when asked if Old Trafford could be kept: “I’d say it’s unlikely.
“We haven’t made a decision on it yet. It’s true that at some point there was some thinking either keeping it as it is or reducing the capacity to 25 or 30,000, as somewhere where the women’s team could play, the youth teams could play.
“I think given our ambition to build what you saw today [Tuesday], maybe that needs to be re-visited.
“Again, our ambition is for the women’s team to have a big enough fan base that they’re playing in the main stadium, not in a smaller capacity stadium.
“It’s not off the table [to have a mini Old Trafford]. It’s feasible but we have to find the best ways to finance a new stadium and we’re thinking about this in the context of how can it benefit the wider regeneration project.
“If we feel the space where Old Trafford currently is can be used in a different way whilst preserving the history of Old Trafford then we’ll explore it.”
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