Ratcliffe backs building new Manchester United stadium – source،
Sir Jim Ratcliffe favors building a new stadium for Manchester United rather than redeveloping Old Trafford, a source has told ESPN.
The club has set up a task force to assess options to “regenerate the Old Trafford area of Greater Manchester”, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former United captain Gary Neville.
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It will be chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, who headed the organizing committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A source told ESPN that United had already rejected options which included leaving the Old Trafford site, but new co-owner Ratcliffe was leaning towards building a new 90,000-seat stadium rather than investing in the existing one .
“This can be a major regeneration project for an area of Greater Manchester which has played a key role in Britain's industrial history, but which now requires new investment to thrive again,” Ratcliffe said during the presentation of the working group on Friday.
“The north-west of England has a greater concentration of major football clubs than anywhere else in the world, and yet we don't have a stadium on the scale of Wembley, Camp Nou or the Bernabeu.
“We won’t be able to change this on our own, which is why this task force is so important in helping us seize this once-in-a-century opportunity.”
One aspect the working group will look at is how the club will finance the project.
A source told ESPN that United could fund a phased redevelopment of Old Trafford, but a completely new stadium, which could cost up to £2 billion ($2.57 billion), would require outside investment .
“I am incredibly lucky to have had the privilege of playing hundreds of matches at Old Trafford, and no one can take away these wonderful memories,” Neville said.
“But Old Trafford has evolved throughout its history and it is clear that we are at a point where it still needs to change to ensure that Manchester United have a world-class stadium, worthy of the greatest club in the world.
“As much as I want the best for Manchester United, I also want the same for the surrounding community.
“Old Trafford should be a stadium that all of Greater Manchester can be proud of and be a catalyst for sustainable and consistent growth in an area of the city that has been neglected for too long.”
