Man Utd legends react to possible Old Trafford exit

Legendary figures at Manchester United are split over whether or not Sir Jim Ratcliffe should look to move the club into a modernised version of Old Trafford dubbed the 'Wembley of the north'.

Reports emerged on Tuesday that INEOS chief Ratcliffe wants to transform United's home into a state-of-the-art venue, increasing the capacity of the stadium to around 90,000.

It's been suggested that Ratcliffe may lobby the UK Government for stadium funding in light of their Levelling Up commitments, with Mail Sport revealing that dialogue has already been opened with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

The existing Old Trafford opened in February 1910 but has not undergone any renovation work since 2006, when both quadrants adjacent to the North Stand were added to in order to bring the capacity up to 76,000. A leaking roof, crammed concourses and faded paintwork are just some of the current issues.

There's been widespread debate over whether United should look to build a new home from scratch and move to a new site, redevelop Old Trafford in its existing location or rebuild on the same patch of land - like Tottenham Hotspur did.

"I hate to say it because I never thought I’d see the day when I would say, ‘Leave Old Trafford’, but the idea of putting a purpose-built, state-of-the-art stadium next door is appealing," former centre-back Gary Pallister told Mail Sport.

"As fantastic a stadium as it is - and it’s not as bad as some people have made out - to make it the Wembley of the north might be the way forward.

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"It could cost £2bn to build, which is mind-blowing. But as a player and supporter, to go into a brand-new stadium like Tottenham have got, maybe that’s the step we have to take if we want to keep our place at the top table and be spoken about as one of the elite of world football."

Legendary goalkeeper Alex Stepney, who won the European Cup in 1968, argued: "I do hospitality and every game they come from China, Australia, America and Argentina. There’s a tremendous history. I think it would be tragic if they moved the stadium.

"You’ve got the statues of Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy; the Trinity statue and the Munich memorial as well. You would lose so much of the history, not just for the supporters here but the rest of the world.

"My preference would be to stay where we are. To rebuild the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and improve the other parts of the ground with a roof all the way around. Build it up. Surely there are architects who can design that.

"If we could stay there and redevelop it, we could still get 90,000-100,000 spectators."

Sammy McIlroy, who played 419 games for United and scored 71 goals, echoed Stepney's sentiments, saying: "I would hate it if we have to move. You are starting in a new stadium to build history again, whereas Old Trafford has been there for years and years.

"People might say I’m old school but I’ve got fantastic memories of Old Trafford going back to my days with Best, Law and Charlton, and I would love to see them redevelop it from the inside and make it look like Wembley. What’s there now, make it better."

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