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Just before Christmas, news broke that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had agreed to purchase 25 percent of the club and would be taking charge of sporting affairs, taking over from the deeply-unpopular Glazers.
INEOS have planned major behind-the-scenes changes at the club with a new CEO already in place while there are plans to bring in a sporting director and head of recruitment next.
As soon as the ratification process is completed, deals are expected to be pursued at an accelerated rate with the British petrochemical giants eager to start of their era on the right foot.
Apart from footballing operations, the British billionaire is also expected to spend on improving infrastructure at the club.
OT future
There have been talks of a new venue for the training ground while Ratcliffe recently revealed his wish to redevelop Old Trafford into “the Wembley of the North”.
Ambitious plans which include building a new stadium close to where the current structure stands and talks are going on with the Mayor.
There are mixed emotions amongst the fanbase with quite a few people wanting the stadium to be upgraded or revamped instead of a total demolition.
The most iconic club stadium in the land has been left to rot by the deeply unpopular America family and is in terrible need of an upgrade.
While it is a contentious topic among players and fans alike, former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has now had his say on the matter.
The Norwegian, who is currently in India, mentioned that he was there when the first team shifted training operations from The Cliff to Carrington.
OGS on OT
And the same must happen if Old Trafford is to catch up with other modern architectural gems like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Allianz Arena in Munich.
“We have to move with the times and at the moment something has to happen,” he said. “It’s either renovation or a new stadium because we’re falling behind if we’re staying in the same place we have.
“It’s going to divide fans for sure, because history is important. But we traded The Cliff (training ground), which was iconic for United and the Busby Babes, with Carrington,” the Treble winner was quoted as saying by Reuters.
“It looks like we might have to build a new stadium. We need new stadiums like, for example, the Tottenham stadium, it’s an unbelievable place. That’s the last win I had as Manchester United manager too. It’s such a nice place. But yes, history is important,” he added.
