Manchester United set to announce new Old Trafford stadium plans

Manchester United set to announce new Old Trafford stadium plans

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing to unveil designs by the architect and Man United fan Sir Norman Foster of a new Old Trafford.

Sir Norman Foster has designed a new Old Trafford (Image: AP )

Manchester United intend to unveil plans for a new Old Trafford stadium.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not concealed his desire to have a new-build stadium on the same site at Trafford Park and chancellor Rachel Reeves has voiced her backing for a proposed regeneration of the area in south Manchester.

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“I think it is financeable,” Ratcliffe told The Times. “But key to it is being part of the government regeneration project for southern Manchester which, you know. Rachel Reeves has talked about as one of those three major planks of their growth strategy.

“We’re not going to ask the government for any money to build the ground but we can’t afford to do all of the other stuff around it.

“But we want an iconic stadium and I would like to do think those billion fans around the world will all want to come to Manchester and see it, which will create value for the club and the north economy.

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"If you look at Oxford Economics they estimate £7billion per annum.”

In a chat with Gary Neville, Ratcliffe added: "It's definitely deliverable but I think it needs to be set in context again.

"It's the greatest football club in the world. Then if it's going to build a new stadium it should be a new stadium that's befitting the greatest club in the world and also a stadium that befits the greatest league in the world. Because the Premier League is the greatest league in the world.

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"And at the moment, if you look at the Premier League, we've got some great stadiums but we don't have a Bernabeu and we don't have a Nou Camp, we don't have that in the Premier League, although it's the greatest league in the world.

"And also, if you look at the north of England, the north of England has won 10 Champions League finals and London has won two. So there's quite a few reasons there to have the world's most iconic football stadium in the north of England and at the world's greatest club.

"I won't say much more but Norman Foster, who also is a Mancunian and is the world's greatest architect in my view, has really created the most iconic - well you've seen it (the design) - absolutely incredible.

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"It would be marvellous if Manchester United could go down that road and in five years' time or six years' time and have that stadium."

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