Butlin's mock Man United's new £2bn 100,000-seater stadium plans for 'looking a little familiar'… after fans joke that the Red Devils went to the holiday resort chain 'for design ideas'

Holiday resort Butlin’s have mocked Manchester United after the Premier League club unveiled the design of their new state-of-the-art stadium on Tuesday.

The unique design, which was drawn up by renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster, places the new stadium inside an ‘umbrella’ canopy made of glass and steel, with three giant towers paying homage to the Red Devils’ trident and dominating the Manchester skyline.

The impressive canopy, which is designed to keep supporters dry both inside and outside the stadium, will make Manchester United’s new venue the largest covered space in the world once completed, with the Red Devils confident they can complete the £2billion project in just five years.

Butlin’s sent United a humorous message on social media on Tuesday after the unveiling, mocking the club by claiming the design ‘looked a little familiar’.

Butlin’s, who are based in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness, are well known for having a huge, white tent structure at each of their resorts — in a style drawing comparison to that of Manchester United’s new stadium.

‘Looks great (and a little familiar) to us! #OldTrafford #ReadyToButlins,’ the British company said on social media platform X.

Posting a picture of Butlin’s white tent, one fan said: ‘Sorry United, Minehead did it first.’

Another posted: ‘Man Utd are so in debt they’ve gone to Butlin’s for architectural design ideas.’ 

A third, accompanying their post with a glut of laughing emojis, added: ‘Who else thinks Manchester United’s new stadium design looks like Minehead Butlins?’

A group of Man United supporters also took to social media to express their disappointment at the ground appearing to resemble a circus tent.

‘Ffs looks like a circus,’ wrote one, with the prerequisite emoji of a big top. 

‘Looks awful. Looks like a circus for the clowns gonna play in it’ said another.

‘Haha circus tent,’ wrote one football fan, before another seemed to send a barb towards the unpopular Glazer family co-owners: ‘Glazers really building themselves a circus tent for the clowns that they are.’

Speaking on United’s new stadium design, Lord Foster — Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners — said: ‘This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today, with incredible regional and national significance. 

‘It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar. 

‘The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square. 

‘The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district, which is completely walkable, served by public transport, and endowed by nature. 

‘It is a mixed-use miniature city of the future – driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination that Mancunians can be proud of.’ 

Meanwhile, United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: ‘Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years.

‘But it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home.’