Manchester United news: No Old Trafford banner for Jose Mourinho as fans prefer to celebrate Busby or Murphy

Have your say, says supporters group, as it invites ideas for 2016/17 artwork to adorn stadium

A banner paying tribute to the 'Busby Babes' is displayed in the Stretford End at Old Trafford (Getty)

A striking new Old Trafford banner for the 2016/17 season will not carry the image of manager Jose Mourinho, in a reminder that the club’s legends have to earn their iconic status.

Ideas are being canvassed for a new banner which will be draped between tiers at Old Trafford and with two weeks to go until a final decision has to be made, popular contenders are Jimmy Murphy - who as Sir Matt Busby’s assistant took over after the February 1958 Munich Disaster and guided the club through to the end of the 1957/58 season – and Busby himself.

With United – who on Tuesday headed off for their pre-season tour - still willing to allow the entire circumference of the ground between the tiers to be kept for banners, the Stretford End Flags firm - the architects of hundreds of flags, banners and mosaics which have adorned Old Trafford in recent years – are looking to combine an image with a quote for the new piece.

One of the famous Murphy quotes which could accompany an image of him states: “Don’t tell me what can’t be done. It can be done.” Another alternative is an image of Busby, containing the second part of these legendary words: “It’s honour or glory, the great man once said. There’s nothing on earth like being a Red.”

But Stretford End Flags might also take up the idea of using an image and words more generically representative of Manchester itself. One possibility is a banner capturing the words of the music impresario Tony Wilson: “This is Manchester. We do things differently here.” Or yet another idea which has been floated is to use the quote which dates to the Industrial Revolution era of Manchester’s extraordinary economic growth: “What Manchester does today, the world does tomorrow.”

There is potentially space for two banners, with several of those which have adorned the balcony between tiers now old and needing to be withdrawn from service. A possible location for the new pieces could be at the stadium’s East Stand scoreboard end. Though there was a new banner for David Moyes when was appointed Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor – stating ‘The Chosen One’ – there has been no banner in that space for either Louis van Gaal, Moyes’ successor, or Mourinho, who has been appointed this summer.

“With the Moyes banner, Fergie had had said to supporters to get behind him,” said Andrew Kilduff of Stretford End Flags. “There was also the fact that Moyes’ first game was against Mourinho’s Chelsea at home, so that made it ven more appropriate. But there is a feeling that a manager needs to earn the banner first. The banners in place are for legends – Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Ferguson. United have kept the space free for banners and for fans it means the possibility of seeing their idea or design up there in place. The decision on what the new banner might look like and who it might picture is till totally up for debate.”

Stretford End Flags are still inviting ideas from supporters for the subject of a new banner or thoughts on which of those four ideas already put forward fans would most like to see. The choice of banner needs to be made by the end of the month, allowing the company which hand stitches the banner – local Oldham firm Barmy Flags – the three weeks it needs to complete it. To have a say, email stretfordendflags@hotmail.com