Man Utd Make Major Change to 'New Trafford' Plans After Backlash From Fans

An revision has emerged to Manchester United's planned new stadium with one major change proposed which divided fans when it was revealed.

United have played at Old Trafford since 1910 and its capacity currently stands at just over 74,000 spectators.

However, the last time the ground was renovated and expanded was in 2006 when the quadrants either side of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand were completed.

Since then, there have been no further expansion done to the ground, and it has shown signs of age in recent years, including leaks to the stadium's roof at times.

In the intervening period, several of United's Premier League rivals have either expanded their current stadia or moved to brand new ones.

Liverpool and Manchester City have both expanded Anfield and the Etihad Stadium respectively, while the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and most recently Everton have all moved to new grounds.

The question was therefore posed to United fans if they would favour remaining at a renovated and expanded Old Trafford, or building a new stadium from scratch.

Ultimately, United have decided to construct a new stadium and in March of this year, plans for a new 100,000-seat arena designed by architect Norman Foster at an estimated cost of some £2bn was proposed.

The club intends to have the new stadium ready to host football matches by the beginning of the 2030-31 season and it would be built next to the current site of Old Trafford.

Manchester United have played at Old Trafford since 1910. (Image: Getty)

When the blueprints from Foster + Partners emerged, one of the most striking features was a canopy over the planned New Trafford stadium which would cover the outside of the ground and be held in place by three huge spires - in a nod to the trident held by the red devil on United's badge.

This feature very much divided opinions with its striking look - and it seems action has now been taken by United regarding this specific feature.

According to a report by The Athletic, United have drawn up alternative plans where the canopy that had appeared on the initial designs is removed.

The reason for this change is over the issue of buying land to make the plans a reality.

The reports states that the company Freightliner owns much of the area earmarked for the New Trafford stadium and around 17,000 homes as part of the ambitious regeneration project.

United had initially earmarked money in the region of £50m in order to purchase land from the company for the project, but Freightliner has since demanded around £400m for this - some eight times what United has originally envisaged.

It has led to updated designs without the canopy which would make it look like more traditional stadiums.

If a design without the canopy does end up being selected and ultimately going ahead, a potential by-product of this would be less land being needed from Freightliner and the stadium could be built quicker, with the report adding that the canopy itself estimated to cost between £300m and £400m to build.