Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly been urged by the architects involved in the Red Devils’ redevelopment project to demolish Old Trafford in order to make way for a new stadium.
Ratcliffe’s bid for a 25 per cent stake in the club was accepted on Christmas Eve and he is now set to take control of the 13-time Premier League winners’ footballing operations. Long overdue plans to revamp an ageing Old Trafford are among his first ports of call.
The British billionaire has pledged to inject an initial £237million towards infrastructure improvements – although a large-scale renovation of Old Trafford and the Carrington training facilities will cost millions more.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the architectural design firm Populous, who helped build Spurs’ Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, have put together three possible options for an Old Trafford overhaul. These are as follows; a small makeover project, an expansion of the south stand and complete redevelopment of the existing ground, or the erection of an entirely new stadium.
Chris Lee, chief executive of Populous, favours the latter option. When asked by the British broadsheet whether he had a preference, Lee replied: “Well, I would say this wouldn’t I, but I feel the new build may well turn out to be the most cost-effective solution.
“Yes, the initial outlay is obviously the highest of the three options but there is so much land available to develop there. They [United] could carry on using the existing ground while building work is underway, meaning no decline in matchday revenues.
“Architecturally, in the space available you could do something really innovative and exciting. There would be no space constrictions.
“We’ve done the work with Legends to look at all the feasibility options, multiple different versions of renovations of Old Trafford and also what a new build could potentially look like, all of it focused on how we can create an amazing fan experience. Manchester United are very focused on that.”
