Manchester United fans should know if the club plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium or redevelop Old Trafford by the end of the year.
There has been a lot of focus on Erik ten Hag and Manchester United’s 7-0 thumping of Barnsley this week, but behind the scenes, work continues on the club’s stadium plans.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already made sweeping changes at the club since his minority takeover was completed in December, but his biggest statement of intent is his plans for Old Trafford.
Ineos have set up a task force to assess the club’s options, one of which is to build a state-of-the-art 100,000-capacity stadium dubbed the ‘Wembley of the North’. They are set to deliver their recommendation by the end of December 2024.
Within that task force is Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham, chairman Sebastian Coe and United legend Gary Neville.
Neville has now opened up on the club’s stadium plans and revealed what he wants to see happen in the next five years.
Gary Neville on Manchester United stadium plans
The decision on Old Trafford will be one of the biggest in the club’s history, and it is an extremely difficult call to make.
There is no denying that the Theatre of Dreams was left to rot by the Glazers, who stubbornly refused to invest in the venue. But the 74,310-seater stadium also boasts unmatched history and heritage and it would be heart-wrenching to wave goodbye.
Neville has already given his opinion on what United should do back in 2022, when he supported the club building a “super stadium” and knocking Old Trafford down.
Now in an interview with The Athletic, Neville said: “Everyone gets bogged down on whether it should be a new stadium or a redevelopment — and rightly so.
“That’s the question where everyone is at. Honestly, I’ve got a vast experience in redevelopment and rebuild in real estate. One or the other is not the most important thing to me.
“Whether we create a new and bigger version of Tottenham’s stadium or do what Real Madrid did with the Bernabeu. Either outcome for me is a success because if Manchester United end up with a world-class stadium, new or developed, I genuinely don’t care.
“What I want to see is a world of Manchester United around that stadium, of opportunity, hope and belief. It sounds Disneyfied, but I don’t mean a theme park. I mean where people visit that area and think, ‘Wow’.
“In five, six or seven years, I want United to have the best stadium and training ground in the world, plus doing the right things on the football side. That will come again and we’re patient.”
Man United legends on Old Trafford debate
Neville is not the first United legend to weigh in on what the club should with Old Trafford – although his say is the one that will eventually count.
Paul Scholes is in favour of knocking Old Trafford down as he believes the stadium has fallen too far behind some of United’s rivals.
READ MORE: Viral video shows Man United ready to tap into £77bn goldmine with Old Trafford rebuild
Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium has been an inspiriation behind Ineos’ plans to build a new stadium, and after visiting the venue in the United States, Andy Cole gave his verdict on Old Trafford, suggesting that fans deserve a “world-class” stadium.
It appears that most are leaning towards the construction of a new stadium, and a decision could be announced in a matter of months.
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