Old Trafford also features a poignant Munich Clock, which is stopped at the time of the disaster, and a Munich Tunnel, which runs beneath the Sir Bobby Charlton stand. Both form a key part of annual commemoration ceremonies. It is hard to see a world in which similar tributes do not feature as part of a rebuild. There are also statues of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jimmy Murphy and the Holy Trinity of Charlton, George Best and Denis Law, which could be swiftly relocated. United have set up a focus group with fans to ensure the heritage and history of Old Trafford is captured in any new build.
United bosses will make a final decision on rebuild or regeneration before the end of the summer. Ratcliffe has said that the club will meet the estimated £2bn cost of the stadium itself. However, it is hoped that the wider project would be a mix of private, commercial and public funding.
One key issue is the existence of a freight terminal and line on land behind the Stretford End. Moving the terminal out of the area would create space and the potential to create a new major passenger transport hub for Manchester, which could well prove attractive when seeking government funding. While Ratcliffe and INEOS do not want public cash for the stadium and are aware the club would need to pay for the venue itself, help may come in the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) – a statutory body which would have the power to acquire and develop land and being forward new infrastructure.
The club have played at Old Trafford for 115 years. Globally-recognised, it is a cathedral of the game drenched in history. A new home would be likely designed by the award-winning architect Lord Norman Foster, a close friend of Ratcliffe’s who is currently overseeing the revamp of United’s Carrington training base. It would become a new landmark. It would also feature significant nods to the club’s past, including a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958.
The group making the decision has included a number of high-profile figures including Andy Burnham (left) and Lord Sebastian Coe
Following his arrival, United embarked on a wide-ranging cost-cutting exercise with, as Mail Sport revealed, 250 redundancies made across departments.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Burnham described the proposals as offering ‘the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012’. ‘They are an important part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth not only around Old Trafford but across Greater Manchester,’ he added.
Stay at Old Trafford, standing since 1910, and you can only go from 74,000 to 87,000. Build a new stadium and not only do you get to 100,000, you unlock one of the biggest regeneration projects in Britain’s history. The benefit of a newbuild, in their words, would be ‘amplified’.
Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been a driving force in taking the mammoth next step
The project would also allow for a transformation around the ground with a new hotel, club store and museum likely to form part of the plans. On a daily basis tourists from across the world visit Old Trafford and are often left short on activities. On that front, United are currently missing out on a serious chunk of revenue.
Images of what the new stadium could look like were released by United, and created by Foster + Partners, the architect firm who designed Wembley Stadium
Should the MDC come to existence, it could play a key role in expediting a process that would signal the end of an era.
Private investment and commercial partners would also be sought for the wider project, with public money – should it be forthcoming – likely to go on major infrastructure. United say a new ‘Stadium District’, that would transform vast swathes of land stretching to the Manchester Ship Canal and link the area to MediaCity, the home of the BBC, aligns with the government’s growth mission.
Further consultation will now take place and United and those involved will engage with the government. As previously stated, much will depend on the freight terminal – but the current direction of travel is very much in the direction of a new Old Trafford.
As part of the feasibility work, more than 50,000 fans were surveyed. More than 90 per cent were ‘positive about the ambition to deliver a world-class stadium at the heart of a regenerated stadium district’.
But the reasoning appears to be sound. The group, which included Andy Burnham, Lord Coe and Gary Neville, were asked to examine the options and, while a final decision will not be made until the end of this season, their message was clear.
While the aim is to create a leaner business, bring United’s bloated workforce into line with Premier League rivals and free up cash to spend on the first team, getting the club back to profitability would do no harm to its chances of building a new stadium. Despite record revenues of £661.8m, United lost £113.2m in 2023-24. Payment would be made in steps, and any extra resources generated by the club would allow for extra investment.
To rebuild or not to rebuild, that was the question.
He added: ‘Collectively we have examined a wide range of options to produce a report that outlines the huge opportunity that Manchester United, and the local authorities, have to deliver major economic and social growth. At the heart of the plan is a world-class football stadium which will act as a catalyst for one of the biggest regeneration projects ever undertaken in the UK.’
His petrochemicals firm, INEOS, has experience in delivering vast projects, such as a £5bn plant in Antwerp, which is currently in the pipeline.
