Old Trafford expansion: Man Utd fan’s epic mock-ups of how stadium could look
Old Trafford #OldTrafford
Manchester United’s iconic Old Trafford stadium could soon be set for a brand new look if Qatari investors are successful in the bid to purchase the club from current owners, the Glazer family.
According to a report from the Daily Mail last week, investors from the oil-rich state are one of the front-runners to take over at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ – and are ready to pump huge amounts of money into United should the purchase go through.
The current state of the club’s historic home ground has been a major concern for many in recent years.
Back in August of last year, Red Devils’ legend Gary Neville slammed the Glazers for their lack of investment in Old Trafford, calling it ‘unforgivable’.
“In 20 years, Manchester United have not invested in the stadium, and they’ve not invested in the training ground that much. It’s a club that’s really struggling.
“And I’ve said in the last couple of years that the only thing I think can change it now is the ownership. There is an embedded rot at the club.”
However, change now appears to be on the way, with the Qatari bidders reportedly prepared to splash out around £2 billion into the redevelopment of an ageing Old Trafford – or, alternatively, build a brand new stadium altogether.
With that in mind, YouTube animator Damian Bosio recently uploaded a video entitled: ‘Future Old Trafford Stadium – Expand, Upgrade or Rebuild?’
Featuring three mock-ups of how United’s home base might look going forward, each of the trio of designs are a drastic improvement over how the stadium sits today.
We’ve taken a look at each design below.
Expanding Old Trafford
The first concept put forward is that Old Trafford be expanded to increase its 74,310 capacity.
This would be achieved by expanding the Bobby Charlton Stand, formerly known as the South Stand. A report last year suggested that such a move could see the club add as many as 15,000 extra seats.
However, although the finished product looks impressive, the club would have a number of hurdles to overcome in order to make it happen.
The main obstacle at present is that the stand sits directly in front of a train line.
For expansion to be possible, United would need to fund a new tunnel for the line as well as demolish several local buildings. Ultimately, this simply may not be possible.
Upgrading Old Trafford
A complete re-design of one of England’s most famous stadiums, this plan would see the Sir Alex Ferguson (North) Stand expanded, with a new roof built on top of Old Trafford.
The project would then be finished off with a new 360-degree facade giving the ground a futuristic vibe, similar to the feel of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Rebuilding Old Trafford
As mentioned earlier, United’s prospective new Qatari owners are believed to open to a complete rebuild of the stadium.
By erecting a new state-of-the-art stadium close to their current home, the mock-up shows the land on which Old Trafford currently sits being redeveloped for use as club training facilities.
You can check out all three designs for yourself in the video below.
Video: Three ways that Man Utd’s new owners could choose to revamp Old Trafford What’s the latest on the sale of Manchester United?
This Friday (February 17) is the deadline for all interested parties to formalise their intent to purchase the club.
Bidders will submit an offer of just one paragraph in length, stating their offer and the exact percentage of the club they wish to buy.
READ MORE: Man Utd sale: Glazer family take strict stance on bids to ‘weed out jokers
The Qatari investors are expected to be among those bidders and are believed to only be interested in a full takeover of the 13-time Premier League champions.
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