Ex-Manchester United star urges Old Trafford name change consideration, makes Sir Jim Ratcliffe demand

A lot of noise has been made after it was recently revealed that Manchester United are considering selling the naming rights of Old Trafford.

A recent report has explained that Manchester United are considering selling the naming rights to a refurbished Old Trafford or a newly-built stadium, should one be built.

This idea has been brought to the fore since Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s 27.7% acquisition of the club when his company INEOS took over full control of football operations at Old Trafford.

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However, it has been well documented that INEOS also have partial influence over commercial matters, too, and selling the naming rights to Old Trafford would open up a big revenue stream.

The controversial explained that in the event of a refurbishment, one option might be for the club to retain the name Old Trafford but seek to have an associated partner.

However, in the event of a new build, United are open to selling the name altogether, which they hope would command tens of millions of pounds to then reinvest into United.

Former player Mikael Silvestre, who starred at left back for United between 1999 and 2008, has urged the fans to consider this extra revenue stream despite the backlash the idea has caused.

“I think, nowadays, extra funding will be good, especially if you go into building a new stadium,” Silvestre told bettingexperts. “It doesn’t change the fact that you can still call it Old Trafford, and it will be Old Trafford anyhow.

“Naming is a business decision, so it takes nothing away from the Old Trafford name. It’s difficult to resist if it means a lot more revenue for the club.

“When he first took over he said ‘we will consult the fans’. The fans should be consulted on this. It’s a key step towards whether you take the decision to do it or not.”

While Silvestre may have a point, another that has been equally well raised is Ratcliffe’s apparent hypocrisy after he vowed not to sell Old Trafford’s naming rights when acquiring his shares in the club.

“I hadn’t thought of that, but no. That would be heresy,” he said when questioned if this was a possibility. “I would not change it. It’s always Old Trafford.”

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