Man Utd’s new stadium – nine key questions

Manchester United have announced ambitious plans to build a new £2bn 100, 000-capacity stadium close to their current home at Old Trafford.

Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he wanted to build the “world’s greatest football stadium”.

But when? And how can they afford it? What does it look like? And what happens to the current stadium?

Manchester United believe the new stadium can be completed in five years.

A project of this size would normally take about 10 years to complete.

However, the club think they can halve the building time by making full use of the Manchester ship canal.

The club plan to build large parts of the stadium off-site before shipping it to the Old Trafford site via the Manchester ship canal.

“It will be a modular build – that means it can be built far more quickly”, said Ratcliffe.

“There are yards which specialise in building very large structures, which are then shipped to locations around the world”.

There is no confirmed starting date.

Ratcliffe says the project will depend on how ‘ quickly ‘ the government are with kick-starting their regeneration project of the area.

“On the timeline for this, it starts with a discussion”, said Ratcliffe.

“It depends how quickly the government get going with their regeneration programme. I think they want to get going quite quickly, because they want to see progress in this parliament.

It is unclear what will happen to United’s existing home – but it looks unlikely the current Old Trafford will be kept.

Architects Forster and Partners had suggested Old Trafford would be demolished – and there is no sign of the current stadium in the new artists impressions.

Given the proximity of the new stadium to the current site, this option looks likely.

” By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, “Ratcliffe said.

It had been suggested in 2024 that the current stadium could be scaled back and used as a home for United’s women and youth teams.

Manchester United say the new stadium will cost about £2bn.

The club have not said how the stadium will be financed.

There are several options on the table, such as loans, private investment or investment from co-owner Ratcliffe.

However, the proposal to build a new £2bn stadium runs alongside the cost-cutting measures being made by Ratcliffe since his investment in the club.

‘ What we’re doing now is try to put ourselves in the best financial position to be able to finance a stadium and other infrastructure projects”, said Berrada.

“Our aim is to be the most profitable club within three years. We think this will put us in the best financial footing to make this investment and to work with private investors who are willing to work with us”.

The club are more than £1bn in debt.

However, football finance expert Kieran Maguire says the club have more headroom to borrow money.

“The good news for Manchester United is that the club is in a position to borrow substantial sums, despite existing levels of debt”, Maguire told BBC Sport.

“If the club does borrow a substantial amount of the estimated £2bn cost of the new stadium, it is likely to do so with some form of interest only loan.

” When Tottenham took a similar approach to building a new stadium in London a few years ago, they negotiated at very low interest rates. These loans have resulted in Tottenham’s interest costs rising from £12m in the final season at White Hart Lane in 2016-17 to £46m in 2022-23. During that same period matchday income had increased by £72m and commercial income by £155m.

“The increase in commercial income is due to the club having a bigger multi-function stadium, used for a myriad of football and non-football events such as NFL, music concerts and boxing”.

The new stadium is to be built next to Old Trafford, which Ratcliffe hopes will “preserve the essence” of their current home.

The new stadium will form part of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already given Government backing to the plans.

Old Trafford’s current capacity is 74, 310, so the new stadium will accommodate more than 25, 000 new spectators.

How will United fill it? And who will they be?

“Those Manchester United fans on the waiting list for season tickets may be disappointed if they thought the additional capacity of the stadium would result in many more season tickets becoming available”, said Maguire.

” Manchester United have a huge global fanbase who are more likely to be willing to pay higher prices than those available to season ticket holders. Liverpool have in recent years increased the capacity of Anfield from 45, 000 to over 61, 000 as owners Fenway Sports Group have made most of the extra tickets available to fans in the membership scheme rather than those who want to have a coveted season ticket”.

In a statement, the Manchester United Supporters ‘ Trust (MUST) said fans “remain anxious” about the plans and whether ticket prices will be driven up, forcing out local supporters.

“We look forward to further consultation with supporters discussing these vital questions with the club. If they are able to produce a new stadium as stunning as the plans suggest without harming the atmosphere, without hiking ticket prices and without harming investment elsewhere, then this could be very exciting.

Architects at Foster and Partners, who will design the project, said the new stadium would feature an umbrella design and a new public plaza that is” twice the size of Trafalgar Square”.

The design will feature three masts described as” the trident”, which the architects say will be 200 metres high and visible from 25 miles away.

” As you move away from the stadium, it’s not a fortress surrounded by a sea of cars. Its open, and it’s contained by an umbrella that harvests solar energy, harvests rainwater but it’s protective and it encloses arguably the largest public space in the world, “said architect Norman Foster.

” And then the three masts, the trident, visible from 40kms, 200 metres high. So, this becomes a global destination.

“And then we rebuild the Old Trafford station and that becomes the pivot. The processional way to the stadium, welcoming at the heart of a new sport-led neighbourhood. It’s walkable, it’s well served by public transport. It’s endowed by nature.