The plans for Manchester United to move out of Old Trafford are now firmly underway, which won’t please Eric Cantona.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was smiling ear to ear on Tuesday when he unveiled magnificent plans to replace Old Trafford with a new 100,000-seater stadium.
Manchester United have long needed a new stadium with the Theatre of Dreams dated and requiring restoration from top to bottom.
Leading architect, Norman Foster, has outlined his excitement while explaining how it will be feasible while benefitting the wider community in Manchester.
United aims to move into the new stadium by the 2030/31 season, which means work really must get underway soon.
The stadium is an exciting bit of news, yet United fans have been left divided on the situation, one man whose verdict is already clear before he even speaks is Eric Cantona.
READ MORE:Who is Eric Cantona? Age, Height, Acting, Singing, Family
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside via Getty Images
Eric Cantona has always had fears about leaving Old Trafford
No matter the view an individual has on the new stadium, it cannot be wrong. Feelings over the move are personal and will likely differ for supporters across the globe.
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Cantona however, has made his views clear already.
Speaking with the Daily Mail in July 2024, Cantona made his views on a new stadium crystal clear.
“No, never. I think the stadium is very important. I remember the first day I came to Manchester United, I could feel the ghosts of the club, of the players, and everything.
“The energy of the club. The history. It’s a heritage. You can feel the soul of the club, you can feel the energy of the past strongly. It’s very important.
“I cannot imagine Manchester United without Old Trafford. I cannot imagine Liverpool without Anfield or Real Madrid without the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I think some clubs change their stadiums and lose their soul, like Arsenal for example. When they left Highbury, they lost the soul of this club.”
Manchester United fans will completely agree with Eric Cantona
While not everyone will be against the replacement of Old Trafford, most fans will agree with Cantona’s insistence that a stadium change can see some clubs lose their soul.
Ratcliffe used West Ham as an example of what not to do, with United’s new proposed stadium certainly not a soulless bowl like the Hammers’ home or Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium.
United fans will demand that the new stadium has certain aspects of Old Trafford, nods to the Trinity Statue, Munich tunnel and the clock would be nice additions around the new ground and add character.
Whoever is designing the stadium must consult with fans to ensure it reflects a home fans are proud of and still feel is special.
In time, the new Old Trafford will possess the same aura, especially as it will occupy the same land.