Manchester United Reportedly Explore Idea of 'Mini Old Trafford' for Youth Team

Manchester United are reportedly looking to build a small stadium close to Old Trafford that will host some youth-team fixtures.

That’s according to Stuart Mathieson of the Manchester Evening News, who wrote that the “mini Old Trafford” is being considered as part of a review of the club’s academy infrastructure. It’s suggested the venue would have a capacity between 5,000 and 10,000.

Mathieson outlined the problems United have had when it comes to hosting fixtures for their youth teams:

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They currently play at Leigh Sports Village, where United have also hosted their Under 19s UEFA Youth League games.

But the Reds youngsters have played at Bury's Gigg Lane, Altrincham's Moss Lane, the Victoria Stadium in Northwich, Salford's AJ Bell Stadium and at Hyde United's Ewen Fields down the years. For a club of United size and stature it has become a ridiculous state of affairs and the Reds now lag behind many clubs around Europe who have their own mini stadiums.

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Across the city, Manchester City’s construction of the City Football Academy has seen them surpass United in terms of facilities. The CFA includes a regular venue for the youth teams to play matches that is just a stone’s throw away from the Etihad Stadium.

Barcelona are another club that has the reserves play close by to the first-team venue, with the Miniestadi within the shadow of the Camp Nou. Mathieson also reported Red Devils chiefs were impressed by a similar facility at Wolfsburg recently, as the clubs' respective youth teams met in the UEFA Youth League.

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Needless to say, the construction of such a structure would be a positive move by the club. A regular home venue would benefit everyone working in the youth setup at United, and for the young players, with Old Trafford just down the road, it’d represent a major incentive to perform and progress.

United may have spent big money since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in an attempt to haul themselves back to the summit of the Premier League, but they’re a club that has had a reputation for giving young players a chance. A revamp and betterment of the academy facilities would aid in expediting this process.

It’s important the Red Devils keep pace with the biggest teams in the country too, especially with City putting together their own remarkable setup. United will want to lure the best talents in the local area to the red side of Manchester, and being on a par with their nearest rivals is a requisite if that’s to happen.