Architect involved in Man United's plans to build £2bn stadium reveals new details of ambitious project

One of the architects has answered a key concern of supporters about the plans

A senior architect at the firm appointed to design Manchester United's new £2billion stadium has revealed further details about their ambitious project.

United last week unveiled their plans to build a 100,000-capacity new Old Trafford under a vast 'umbrella' – complete with a public plaza twice the size of Trafalgar Square and their own version of Wembley Way in a breathtaking ‘city of the future’.

The staggering plans have been drawn up by renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster, which include a cheeky nod to Manchester’s infamous climate.

Three giant towers, inspired by the Red Devils’ trident, dominate the skyline and effectively hold up the ‘umbrella’ - a sweeping glass and steel canopy above that will keep fans dry inside and outside what would be comfortably Britain’s biggest stadium.

A huge wraparound scoreboard also features, along with a three-storey museum and canal-side restaurants as part of a vast fan village in a project Sir Jim Ratcliffe says will ‘preserve the essence of Old Trafford… while transforming the fan experience only footsteps from our existing home’.

United fans, however, have questioned how the club will pay for the stadium.

Man United plan to build a stunning, 100,000-capacity new Old Trafford under a vast umbrella

Architect Lord Norman Foster claims the stadium will bring fans ‘closer than ever to the pitch’

Patrick Campbell, an architect at Foster + Partners, has provided new details about the stadium

Others have urged those involved in the project to preserve elements of Old Trafford, including the Munich Tunnel - which commemorates those who lost their lives in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958 - and the Trinity Statue depicting George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.

And Patrick Campbell, an architect at Foster + Partners, the group appointed to design the stadium district, has opened up on plans to keep both as part of the new Old Trafford.

'We were honoured and privileged to be at the recent [Munich] memorial. It’s so powerful,' Campbell said.

'It’s so important and it’s non-negotiable. That has to be play such an important part in the design of how this all comes forward.

'We want to work with fans to understand what are the important pieces and what’s the best way of continuing that beautiful story of the history and making sure we can continue to honour those memories. So it’s about how could they be integrated within the new stadium, or the public spaces around the stadium? Or how we might even add to them.

'How can we make this [area] even more about Manchester United, about the history and the story which is unique to the club and unlike anything else?'

Campbell also revealed where the Trinity Statue could be located. 'That’s 450 metres of tree-lined, activated — museums, shops, bars, hotels, entertainment — route, which links to the route coming from the cricket ground and Wharfside,' he added.

'So that’s maybe where we put the Trinity Statue, so that just as today, it faces towards and honours the stadium.'

A series of spectacular drawings show that the new Old Trafford would be pushed back from the site of Manchester United’s existing, iconic home of more than a century

The design includes a sweeping glass and steel canopy above that will keep supporters dry

The seismic project has been Sir Jim Ratcliffe's priority since taking over his minority share of the club

The Trinity Statue is also set to be preserved and will form part of the new stadium plans

A series of spectacular drawings unveiled last week show that the new Old Trafford would be pushed back from the site of United’s existing, iconic home of more than a century.

Their own, tree-lined version of Wembley Way would stretch from beyond the current Holy Trinity statue to well inside the existing Old Trafford with land currently used for a car park and freight terminal behind the Stretford End coming in to play.

On one side the bowl-shaped venue would straddle the canal, with a series of sheltered bridges allowing fans to cross into a cavernous arena.

'The idea is to make sure that Manchester United can continue to play in Old Trafford throughout this whole process. So we’re locating the new stadium broadly in the middle of the Bridgewater Canal and the railway line, just to the west of the existing stadium,' Campbell added.

United will continue to play at their current home while the new stadium, which the club have ambitiously proposed to be completed in five years, is built next door.

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