Manchester United poised for Old Trafford stadium blow courtesy of potential Manchester City decision

The misery at Old Trafford and Manchester United could be set to further continue with a significant development concerning staging rights for the home of the Red Devils.

A new report concerning the faltering Manchester club follows on from a week of on-field misery that has seen Erik ten Hag and his players succumb to successive 0-3 home defeats to both Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Pep Guardiola’s side issued a damning blow on their city rivals on Sunday afternoon, with an Erling Haaland brace and Phil Foden strike only further confirming their place as the top dogs in the city.

That defeat was then followed up by the visit of Eddie Howe and his players, who made the trip to Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup fourth round and reached the quarter-finals of the competition with a 0-3 victory of their own.

Now, a new report has detailed that subject matter away from the footballing side of Manchester United’s operation could hand the club further damaging news and in turn provide Manchester City with further reason for celebration.

According to MailSport’s Matt Hughes, Manchester United could lose staging rights for the Super League Grand Final to Manchester City and the Etihad Stadium ‘due to the poor state’ of Old Trafford and ‘uncertainty over the club’s plans for a rebuild’. 

While it is highlighted that the Rugby Football League have a ‘good relationship’ with Manchester United and would ‘welcome talks’ over extending their deal, the club’s need to upgrade Old Trafford has led them to consider potential alternatives, with the home of Manchester City ’emerging as a potential contender’.

It is further detailed, as another potential boost to Manchester City’s ambitions, that the RFL have ‘developed close links’ with last season’s Treble winners in recent years, with their executive and commercial teams moving into offices on the Etihad Campus in 2022.

The subject of the Super League Grand Final follows on from the confirmed news that Old Trafford had been snubbed by the successful UK and Republic of Ireland bid to host the 2028 European Championships.

Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium was confirmed as a host venue, and City Xtra further understand that the state-of-the-art arena – which is subject to major upgrades in the coming years – is under consideration to host a semi-final contest at the tournament.

Manchester City return to action at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as they host Adoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth in their return to Premier League action after a rare midweek break from competitive duties.