Sir Jim Ratcliffe hailed Manchester United’s proposed new stadium as befitting of “the world ’s favourite football club” - with the club hoping to move in in 2030.
United on Tuesday morning unveiled ambitious plans to replace their existing Old Trafford home with a new 100,000-seater venue. Co-owner Ratcliffe said: “United is the world’s favourite football club and the biggest in my opinion and it deserves a stadium befitting of its stature.
“It’s more challenging to build a stadium of 100,000 but I think the UK needs a stadium of that kind of presence and the north of England I think is the best place to build it.”
[
Sir Alex Ferguson reveals stance as Man Utd plan to leave Old Trafford for new £2bn stadium](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manutd-alex-ferguson-new-stadium-34836276)
Normally a stadium of this scale would take 10 years to build but United will use the Manchester ship canal to transport components of the stadium which are pre built to speed up the process and hope the stadium can be built in five years.
The start date remains up in the air, and Ratcliffe said: “It depends how quickly the Government gets going with the regeneration programme. I think they want to get going quite quickly, they want to see progress in this term.”
The walk up to the new stadium
The walk up to the new stadium
On the Government's role, Ratcliffe added: “Past Governments have sponsored a number of these regenerative schemes, but they have primarily been in and around London. One of two smaller ones in the north, but this will be the biggest of this scale in the north.
“We will underpinning government growth plans with a new stadium. It’s obvious the more iconic or extraordinary the stadium is, the more successful the regeneration scheme will be.
Regarding the financing of the project, chief executive Omar Berrada added: “It’s a very attractive investment opportunity so we’re quite confident we’ll find a way to finance the stadium.”
United believe the stadium and wider regeneration project, part of the Government’s growth agenda, can deliver an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy.
It is estimated the new stadium project will create up to 92,000 new jobs and more than 17,000 new homes, as well as attracting an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.
The move to a new ground has been backed by former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
“Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in,” Ferguson said.
“Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.