Manchester United could rebuild Old Trafford without moving stadium

Manchester United have been advised a new build is the best option as they consider an upgrade of Old Trafford.

The Manchester Evening News understands renovation of the 114-year-old stadium would be complicated due to the railway lines and the existing structures. Although sources have suggested enhancing the stadium would be more cost-efficient than rebuilding it, the expense would still be considerable and more time-consuming.

United would also be hit by reduced capacity crowds, as they were when the north stand, now the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, was rebuilt in 1995.

A new Old Trafford would be a higher capital cost but provide a better return on the investment and could be constructed while Old Trafford is still in use, as Tottenham did with White Hart Lane while their new stadium was under construction next door. That would prevent United from playing in front of reduced-capacity crowds.

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Spurs moved out of White Hart Lane in 2017 and resided at Wembley until their new stadium opened in March 2019 due to a string of delays.

United hired stadium masterplanners Populous to present proposals for an expanded Old Trafford in April 2022. As revealed by the Manchester Evening News last year, rebuilding the stadium would enable United to rotate Old Trafford and maximise the site's footprint.

Bypassing the issue of the railway line behind the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand has prevented United from expanding the only single-tiered stand.

The prospect of United rebuilding their stadium has raised the prospect of where they would play in the interim. A