Old Trafford: United forced into building work ahead of Champions League

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The Peoples Person

2 July 2026

Manchester United returned to the Champions League after a three-year absence.

After finishing an embarrassing 15th in the league in 2024/2025 and losing the Europa League final, United had no European football last year.

The Red Devils, under the management of

Michael Carrick

for half of the season, finished an impressive third in the Premier League and have returned to the Champions League for next season.

Work is certainly needed on the pitch as United have already missed out on midfield targets Elliot Anderson,

Mateus Fernandes

and

Sandro Tonali

to Premier League rivals.

United do need to prepare off the pitch though, and there was the announcement last month that they have successfully

purchased land

to proceed with work on the new stadium.

The Red Devils have also been replacing the turf on the

Old Trafford

pitch to get it ready for a busy new season.

The

club’s official website

has also highlighted more work that the club has needed to carry out this summer.

The site reports, “Manchester United’s preparations for the new season are set to continue with an expansion of the home and away dugouts at Old Trafford.”

This is owing to the fact that new UEFA regulations passed in 2025 stipulate that stadiums “must be equipped with two team benches located either side of the halfway line, parallel to the touchline, each with seating for at least 20 people and positioned at least 4 metres from the touchline.”

The vital reason for the work is that United’s current dugout sits just 16 but they need to be ready for 20 when the Champions League music returns to Old Trafford in September.

The new design has been agreed upon and there will be 21 seats, eight at the back, seven in the middle, and six at the front.

The work began yesterday morning and will take several weeks to complete.

Featured image Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

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