Man Utd issue major update on new stadium as date set for final decision
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Manchester United have completed all the background work and will now have to decide whether to redevelop Old Trafford or build an entirely new stadium. United have been looking into the subject since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took control of the club last February and a key step has now been completed. The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which includes Lord Sebastian Coe, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former United captain Gary Neville, have submitted their report which weighs up the two options.
The club is in desperate need of a new home, with the current version of Old Trafford in a state of disrepair, with the holes in the roof becoming a stick with which to beat the Glazer family. Ratcliffe is understood to be in favour of knocking down Old Trafford to build a modern £2billion, 100,000-seater stadium on the same site.
The new report outlines the pros and cons of both options and points to a more likely direction of travel. It states that while a redevelopment of Old Trafford would cost significantly less, at around £1bn, it would only increase capacity from 74,000 to 87,000.
It would also cause financial harm to United, who would be forced to close sections of the stadium during the redevelopment, because there isn't an obvious alternative stadium to play in while the work goes on. However, building a new stadium would allow a huge capacity of 100,000, fulfilling Ratcliffe’s idea of Old Trafford becoming a “Wembley of the north”. A survey of over 50,000 United fans showed that option is also the most popular, with 52 per cent backing a new-build, while redevelopment was only preferred by 31 per cent, with 17 per cent unsure.
