Man Utd will be able to play at Old Trafford while a new stadium is being built and could keep the iconic ground after that.
Manchester United are yet to make a decision on what to do with Old Trafford once a new stadium is built
View Image
Manchester United haven't ruled out keeping Old Trafford in place and potentially reducing its size once a new stadium to house the first team is built.
United have now revealed the location of a new 100,000-seater stadium and the site, 350 metres away from the current stadium, means the first-team will be able to play at Old Trafford while building work is taking place.
But no decision has yet been made on the future of the 74,000-capacity Old Trafford, with discussions set to take place between the club and Trafford Council over the site as part of wider regeneration plans, while supporters will also be consulted.
"We just don't know, and that is the genuine answer," said Collette Roche, CEO of the stadium development.
"The focus at the moment for me personally is around getting the new stadium built, making sure that the facilities around are in place, the transport networks are in. And then I think everything else is phased.
"Then at that point we'll think, what should we do with this? Should we keep it? Should we knock it down? Should we redevelop it into something different? Should it become houses? I don't know.
"And we'll have to go through that process, but that's going to be a consultation and also something we need to work really closely with the council on, because we've still collectively got to deliver the jobs, the homes, the businesses, and obviously we're in a prime position because we own so much of that land."
The new stadium will be built on land recently purchased from Indurent and although it isn't attached to the current Old Trafford site, the club believe it is actually the ideal location.
"Was it a big decision to be 350 metres further away from Old Trafford? No, because quite simply we're in Old Trafford, which is really important. But going back to what's more important to us is that we can't disrupt what we're doing today. We've got ambitious plans for the club, we want to win football matches.
"Being 350 metres away for the next four or five years, or however long it takes to build a stadium, is going to be really important because if it's too close, it will be disruptive. Our players will be playing in a building site, the fans won't be able to get in and out, the transport is going to be a nightmare.
"So having that little bit of distance makes absolute sense. So it wasn't a hard decision, it's obviously a big one."
Despite moving a little further away than initially planned, Roche said there would be discussions with supporters about ensuiring there is no loss of heritage or history.
"In terms of the history and heritage, that's what we need to work on with [supporters]," she said. "So I've already restarted the conversations with the Fans' Advisory Board: what is important, what do we mean by history and heritage, what do you want to take, what are we protecting, are there things from this stadium that should come over, are there rituals we want, do we rebuild things in the same way?
"That'll all be determined through that design phase. So we've no desire to start fresh at Manchester United and forget because one of the best things about Manchester United is our history and heritage, we've got to hold on to it. It's about building on it, building the next chapter, and that's how we want to do it."
The images of the new stadium have so far centred on a 'circus tent' design that has split opinion amongst the fanbase, but Roche said that was not "set in stone" and final designs will be unveiled later this year, at which point a timeframe for completion will become clearer.
United hope to host matches at the Women's World Cup in 2035, but they hope the stadium will be open and active before then.
"The design is going to inform how we're going to construct the stadium. We've got to go through the planning and then that'll give us the date," said Roche.
"So the reluctance is not around us wanting to put a date, we just don't want to make a decision that's not within our gift right now. And that's why, obviously, we're working with the council to make sure that happens as quickly as possible.
"Once we've got the date, we can all then build a plan behind it. So that's why there's a bit of reticence around the dates. The 2035 one is quite interesting because it's a good milestone. I do think it's realistic because of the work we've done so far."