Could Old Trafford be DEMOLISHED?

SPURS SHOW HOW REDS COULD HAVE NEW 90,000-PLUS CAPACITY STADIUM

UNITED’S hierarchy at White Hart Lane could not have had a better view of the potential future at Old Trafford as Spurs said farewell to their old stadium.

Rising high above the Paxton Road stand is the new arena that will be Tottenham’s home after a season at Wembley.

On a relatively small footprint in built-up north London, the club are shoehorning in a new modern stadium that will have a capacity of 61,000 (cheekily set to be higher by 1,000 than rivals Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium).

Old Trafford will still be the biggest club stadium in the UK, even when Chelsea build their new ground on the Stamford Bridge site.

But with clubs ditching the traditional old grounds and moving into a new era, it begs the question: Should United consider building a new HQ next to Old Trafford?

The Reds have been at the forefront of re-designing their stadium and have kept pace with an expanding fan base and demand for tickets.

The Sir Alex Ferguson stand, the Stretford End and Scoreboard End have been redeveloped and quadrants in two corners added, all since 1996.

But the former main stand, renamed last season after Sir Bobby Charlton, can’t be developed in keeping with the rest of the tiered stands and now looks incongruous in comparison.

Logistical problems due to the railway behind the stand and private housing beyond the railway line has meant development has not been possible, or too expensive to warrant for a limited increase in capacity of around 15,000 new seats. Many believe Old Trafford is now falling behind, as rivals move into new accommodation.

Tottenham have shown the potential way forward by building around the present stadium before bulldozing White Hart Lane and completing the new venue.

United have the luxury of far more land around Old Trafford. The Glazers have been buying up space around the stadium since the takeover in 2005. Crucially, they own the big Freight Terminal close to the ground.

Tottenham’s new HQ is costing around £800m to build, but the club hope to recoup a lot of the outlay from the naming of the stadium with a potential sponsor expected to invest around £25m over 20 years. That would bank £500m. Though Arsenal, City and many other Premier League clubs have gone down the route of branding their stadiums with a sponsor’s name, it is an idea abhorrent to United fans. The Glazers and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward have consistently said the Old Trafford name would always remain. But Spurs have certainly shown a potential way forward for United to achieve Ferguson’s dream of a Reds stadium holding over 90,000.

The Glazers have been buying up space around the stadium since the takeover in 2005 Stuart Mathieson