Manchester United fans have wildly varying takes following the announcement that plans have begun on the redevelopment of Old Trafford.
United announced on Thursday afternoon that a team of leading consultants have been appointed to begin work on creating a plan to modernise and expand the club's historic home. Firms Legends International and Populous will lead the redevelopment team, with the former company having previously done work on Tottenham's new stadium, the restructuring of Anfield's main stand in 2016 and the modernisation of Real Madrid's Bernabeu and Barcelona's Camp Nou.
A statement released by the club promised that fans will be kept 'at the heart of the process' and that work is set to begin immediately on identifying potential development options for Old Trafford and studying their feasibility, with the aim of significantly enhancing the fan experience. The focus is on modernisation and a potential first capacity expansion since 2006.
ALSO READ: Manchester United start plans to expand and modernise Old Trafford
The deteriorating state of Old Trafford has been a primary concern for many match-going supporters for years with a leaking roof especially coming in for criticism. However, the reaction has been surprisingly mixed on social media.
Many supporters have used United's own words from their statement in which they said they have 'appointed a team of leading consultants to begin work on creating a masterplan for the redevelopment of Old Trafford' against them, by joking that a 'masterplan to start winning games' should be implemented instead. United are in a dreadful run of form with their loss to relegation strugglers Everton at the weekend adding a further dent to their Champions League qualification hopes.
Others believe the timing of the announcement is a ploy from the club to try and minimise the crowd and quell any potential anger that could arise in a planned fan protest against the club's owners prior to Saturday's match against Norwich City. Finally, another section of the online fanbase has called for Old Trafford to be knocked down completely and for a new stadium to be built in its place.
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
