Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium
Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium
Manchester United's goodbyes to Old Trafford moved a step closer on Tuesday as Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled plans for a new stadium.
The proposals are considered controversial by some considering that the Theatre of Dreams is considered to be the spiritual home of the club. However, neglect from co-owners the Glazers has led Old Trafford to need serious refurbishments which have been considered too costly in comparison to building a new stadium in land adjacent to their current home which is also owned by the club.
Ratcliffe's aim is to build a 'Wembley of the North' which follows the blueprint of American arenas like SoFi Stadium. In Inglewood, Los Angeles the SoFi Stadium is part of the extremely impressive Hollywood Park.
Not only is the stadium home to the city's NFL team, it also boasts an array of entertainment facilities to make it Mecca for sports fans in LA. Chief operating officer Collete Roche has travelled to Los Angeles on several occasions to observe what the city has done and how it can be replicated on a smaller scale in Manchester.
However impressive the new stadium will be, it will not replace the history and the grandeur of Old Trafford. But as Sir Alex Ferguson explained: "Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in.
"Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made." With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at ten iconic moments from Old Trafford and as this is of course not an exhaustive list, why not let us know your favourite memories of the stadium in the comments.
Manchester United squad 1968-69 pre season pictured with the European Cup
Manchester United squad 1968-69 pre season pictured with the European Cup
Charlton bagged himself a brace against Spurs in 1969, breaking United's goalscoring record with his first. Considered to be one of Charlton's best goals for United, the former United talisman scored the final goal of the game with a thronker of a free-kick as well.
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Ron Atkinson poses with his first United squad in August 1981
Ron Atkinson poses with his first United squad in August 1981