NEW DELHI: A survey released on Tuesday reveals that most Manchester United supporters prefer constructing a new stadium over renovating Old Trafford.
The poll, which included 50,000 participants comprising season ticket holders, club members and executive club members, showed 52% favouring a new facility.
In contrast, 31% supported upgrading the iconic football ground, whilst 17% remained undecided.
In 2003, Manchester City relocated from Maine Road to their new City of Manchester Stadium, although Liverpool opted to enhance their existing Anfield ground.
In September, United unveiled artistic renderings of a possible Old Trafford renovation scheme, suggesting that a new stadium could be incorporated into a substantial redevelopment initiative worth billions of pounds.
The club's leadership is evaluating various possibilities alongside the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which includes former United player Gary Neville and Sebastian Coe, the World Athletics president, among its members.
"It has been reported that a final decision on which option to choose is likely to be taken in the first half of 2025," AFP quoted The Daily Telegraph as saying.
The discussions within the Task Force have primarily centred on constructing a fresh stadium with a 100,000-seat capacity, instead of renovating the existing Old Trafford.
"We know how important our home is to fans and we need to listen to them and gain all their views and insights in order to develop the world-class stadium they deserve," Rick McGagh, United's director of fan engagement, said.
"We are able to view the results through different lenses to understand if our season ticket holders feel differently about anything than say our official members. And if younger fans have different views to older fans."
