The plans for Manchester United’s new stadium split the fanbase back in March 2025, and since then, there has been plenty of debate over what it should look like, with Wes Brown now having his say.
It feels like a long time since Ineos unveiled plans to build a 100,000 seater stadium to replace the historic Old Trafford.
The project was initially planned to be completed by 2030, with renowned architect Norman Foster’s practice leading the planning.
New Old Trafford has a unique three-pronged design, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanting an ‘intimidating’ design, with the idea coming from the Devils’ trident.
Ineos intends to keep vital parts of Old Trafford, such as the Trinity statue, alive and part of the new stadium. But the idea of a new stadium is one that Wes Brown isn’t overly fond of.
Should United prioritise building a new stadium or winning on the pitch now?
Manchester United Announce Plans to Build New World Class Stadium
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Once built, new stadium could deliver…
✅ Extra £100-150m matchday income
✅ £40m-a-year naming rights deal
✅ £30-40m commercial boost
✅ Reinstate United as football superpower
❌ But £2bn-plus debt = less cash for transfers/wages in short term
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Wes Brown has one major problem with the new Manchester United stadium
Being an academy graduate, Brown is well placed to speak about the club’s heritage, and when it comes to the new stadium plans, he is worried that this will be damaged.
Wes Brown doing punditry for MUTV.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Brown has been speaking on the Krafty Entertainment YouTube channel with former United player Viv Anderson and expressed the doubts he has over the stadium.
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“I think the problem is all the new stadiums at the moment. I mean, we’ve done preseason in America the last few times, and some of them NFL stadiums are some of the best things I’ve ever seen.
“I think if you ever move from an old stadium to a new one, you definitely lose some of it.
“You know, the stuff that we the heritage that we’ve had at Old Trafford where it is exactly now you know the players that have played there but the thing is at some point something’s going to be needed to be done whether you do the stadium up or you move it to a different area we won’t get into the cost of that but for me I would love the stadium to stay but I can understand you know once you’ve been around and you see everything that at some point it will need fixing.
“I think the big money comes from moving it and building a you know a brand new one, which again would change the whole atmosphere, but sometimes things move on, and how can you build a new stadium in exactly the same place with a pitch there, is it affordable, you know, the train stations, there’s all these little things along the way
“So I think what’s going to happen is they will build a new one. I don’t know when that will be, and that’s honestly the truth, but it would be a big loss. A big loss.”
Man Utd’s new stadium plans, what we know right now
Set to be complete by 2030/31 season
Expected cost around £2 billion
Old Trafford set to be demolished
Expected to create 92,000 new jobs, 17,000 new homes and drive 1.8 million visitors annually
Capacity of 100,000 with steepest stands allowable in UK (35 degree angle)
Munich clock and other iconic club landmarks set to be included in new design
Manchester United v Luton Town - Premier League
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Ineos faces a battle to appease match-going fans
Building a new stadium from scratch will always be a controversial move, as Tottenham fans will know all too well, but this just means it is pivotal that it is done right.
Everyone knows the benefits of United building a new stadium. Primarily, United would break the British attendance record with a 100,000-seater stadium likely to fill out every week, considering how packed Old Trafford always is.
This brings more revenue and therefore makes the club better off. But Ineos needs to ensure it doesn’t become soulless.
West Ham’s move from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium saw this happen to the Hammers, and fans won’t stand for a new stadium that doesn’t retain the special feeling of Old Trafford.
Keeping the Trinity aspect, the corner tunnel, and the Munich tunnel aspect should all be parts of the new design, keeping the feeling Old Trafford brings, just becoming state-of-the-art. It is a good thing, but only if done correctly.
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