One of the biggest changes Sir Jim Ratcliffe is implementing since taking charge at Manchester United is surrounding Old Trafford.
The INEOS owner wants the Red Devils to have a much larger stadium and looked to instigating a £2 million demolition of Old Trafford to make space for a new stadium.
Now, it appears that this plan is taking an interesting new turn.
Old Trafford as Manchester United’s home
The iconic stadium has been the home of United and was built 114 years ago in 1910.
Over the years, the ground has undertaken a number of changes to look like it does today, with the wall inside the original tunnel on the halfway line being the only remnant of the original stadium.
The now 75,000 seater stadium officially became a 44,000 capacity ground in 1994 when it became an all-seater stadium. In 1995 it was expanded to 55,000 and has grown by an extra 20,000 over the last 30 years.
In 1994, alongside the seating development, the Busby statue was erected, being the same year the former United manager died. The ‘Holy Trinity’ statue was erected in 2008, featuring Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law. Last year saw an new statue unveiled of Busby’s former assistant Jimmy Murphy.
The stadium is absolutely heaped with history, and this is something that United are planning on preserving.
United’s new plans for the home ground
The new plans emerging from Manchester Evening News and Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail is that United will be keeping Old Trafford as a second stadium, whilst building a brand new ground.
The plan appears to look at scaling down Old Trafford to being a 30,000 stadium, used for the Women’s team fixtures and academy games.
Last season saw United’s women’s team play Chelsea in the final match of the year to a crowd of 28,737.
A ‘mini Old Trafford’ has been considered for some time now, much like Manchester City’s City Football Academy stadium.
This scaled down Old Trafford will preserve all of the ground’s history, including the Munich tributes of the Munich clock and the Munich tunnel commemorating the 1958 disaster.
The club statues will also be preserved, with the new £2 billion stadium being build new door.
The new stadium billed as a “Wembley of the North” is planned to be a 100,000 seater venue, with the scaling down of Old Trafford happening after the Red Devils move into the new stadium.
The scaling down of the stadium would seethe Stretford End, Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the East Stand reduced to single storeys.
Ultimately the developments have to be financially viable, with a £1 billion development of Old Trafford still being on the cards.
It’s understood if the development is to go ahead, the plan is for the ground to be completed by 2030, with Ratcliffe wanting a decision by the end of the year.
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