Man Utd ‘will aim to build a 100,000-seater stadium’ with ‘completion’ date mooted

Man Utd are looking to build a stadium capable of holding 100,000 fans if they choose to move to a new Old Trafford, according to reports.

Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was given a stark reminder of the issues facing a deteriorating Old Trafford as a storm wreaked havoc around the ground on towards the end of the season.

Man Utd are looking at options to redevelop the current site or build a new one on adjacent club-owned land, with the first option expected to cost in the region of £1billion and a new stadium requiring a £2billion outlay.

Ratcliffe favours a new ground and got a first hand glimpse of the issues at United’s current home after a storm broke out towards the end of their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in May.

Water poured from the corner of the roof between the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and East Stand, funnelling down like a waterfall onto the seats beneath.

In the opposite corner, water raced down the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand steps and flooded the moat around the pitch.

Man Utd will not be moving away from Old Trafford but have options to redevelop the current ground or build a new one on adjacent club-owned land.

New minority owner Ratcliffe recently said redevelopment will cost around £1billion but favoured a new £2billion stadium that would be among the best in the world.

The INEOS chairman recently said he sees no issue with Man Utd seeking state support for a new ground and financing will be one aspect of the ‘Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force’, which will explore “the development of a world-class football stadium at the heart of the project” to regenerate the area.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Branthwaite to Man Utd one of 10 rumoured summer transfers that definitely won’t happen
👉 Sancho to leave Man Utd, Newcastle raid Chelsea: Rumoured summer transfers that will happen
👉 Man Utd icon De Gea embarrassed as Genoa back out of transfer due to ‘unrealistic expectations’

And now The Athletic have brought an update with the Premier League side ‘to build a 100,000-seater stadium should the club press ahead with plans to move to a new Old Trafford’.’

The Athletic add:

‘The six-figure capacity is seen as a realistic number designed to future-proof the ground given high demand for tickets.’

The report continued:

‘There is a major difference in cost, with a new build expected to surpass £2billion and internal acknowledgment costs could rise, while renovation is around half that amount. But the work being done now by the task force, which is chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, and includes mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, Gary Neville, and Sara Todd, Trafford Council’s CEO, among others, is centred on the more expensive option.

‘The group has met four times, with the latest being last week, when Neville raised the subject of how a new Old Trafford would appear architecturally.

‘There is a consensus among the task force that the heritage of the stadium that has hosted United games for 114 years should be maintained. The characteristic red bricks and distinctive roofing are aspects that might be incorporated to carry through an industrial feel that aligns with United’s history and Manchester’s roots as a city.

‘United are conscious of avoiding a new stadium having too modern a finish. It is projected that breaking ground to completion could take six years.’