Manchester United supporters may have to say goodbye to Old Trafford as shareholder Jim Ratcliffe has begun plans for a new Manchester United stadium that he hopes will be the ‘Wembley of the north.’
Ratcliffe’s plans
Fans have been calling for Old Trafford to be renovated for a while. There are reports that the ground has a leaky roof and peeling paintwork.
There isn’t any room to expand Old Trafford which has led Ratcliffe to begin plans of moving away from the ‘theatre of dreams.’
The new Tottenham Hotspur stadium is said to be a blueprint for Manchester United’s new plan. Tottenham’s ground is now one of the best in Europe after they moved from White Hart Lane.
However, not everyone expresses Ratcliffe’s opinion. According to Samuel Luckhurst, chairman Joel Glazer has said that he’d prefer to renovate the stadium.
It has been estimated that renovating the current stadium would cost at least £800million, while building a completely new stadium would be between £1.5bn and £2bn.
The estimated cost to renovate Old Trafford would is around £800million. Building a new stadium would be cost between £1.5bn and £2bn.
Reaction to the news
The United Stand host Mark Goldbridge thinks that Jim Ratcliffe is taking the cheaper and quicker option by moving away from Old Trafford.
“If somebody said they could rebuild Old Trafford into one of the best grounds in the world, as quick and for the same price as a new stadium, they’d stay!” 💰@markgoldbridge says the decision regarding Old Trafford’s future will likely be a short-term financial one. #mufc pic.twitter.com/EVxv6llJE7
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) February 6, 2024
On the talkSport show Alan Brazil sugguested that the atmosphere wouldn’t be the same if Manchester United moved stadium. He said: “So Highbury was a great ground with a great atmosphere, you had White Hart Lane and Goodison will eventually be knocked down.”
Ally McCoist added: “I was at Goodison on Saturday and the atmosphere was fantastic, there was just something about it. I couldn’t help but wonder how the Everton fans felt about the new stadium, I bet they are caught in two minds.”
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