Man Utd consider Old Trafford demolition under Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 'Wembley of the North' plans
- Man Utd still deciding between redeveloping Old Trafford or building new stadium
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to build 'Wembley of the North'
- Club could seek stadium funding from government
By Sean Walsh
Incoming Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants the club to boast a top-class stadium which rivals Wembley as the country's biggest venue.
Over the last couple of years, the club have been considering plans to either redevelop Old Trafford or build a new stadium in line with modern arenas. Renovations were last completed at Old Trafford all the way back in 2006 when the north-east and north-west quadrants were extended to the upper tiers, bringing the capacity to over 74,000.
Immediate stadium plans were put on ice last summer until United resolved their ownership situation, but with Ratcliffe and INEOS' purchase of a 25% stake in the club soon to be ratified, there could be new proposals in the pipeline.
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The Telegraph report Ratcliffe is determined to deliver a "an absolute state-of-the-art, knock-it-out-of-the-park, 'wow' stadium" which would essentially be the "Wembley of the North". Ratcliffe may also lobby the UK Government for stadium funding in light of their Levelling Up commitments such is the grand scope of his plans.
Though Ratcliffe is said to be against building a new stadium on a site far away from United's current home, it's possible that a venue could be constructed on the land around Old Trafford which is already owned by the club.
Those inside United believe redeveloping and expanding the current ground could take eight years to complete and there are doubters who think this would not even solve the already prevalent issues of a stadium that has stood for over 100 years.
In a previous interview with the Telegraph, Chris Lee of Populous - the experienced firm tasked with United's stadium project - said it might be more worth the club's while to start from scratch with a new venue.
"The building is reaching the end of its natural life; the cabling, the electricity supplies, everything is nearing its sell by date," he said.
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