Manchester United have provided supporters with a fresh update nine months after unveiling their plans for a new stadium.
After lengthy discussions, the club decided to move forward with plans for a 100,000-seat stadium rather than refurbishing Old Trafford.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and lead architect Norman Foster said that the project was expected to be finished by 2030. However, some have started to doubt that timeline since construction still has not started.
The build is projected to cost around £2 billion. United are still negotiating with local landowners near Old Trafford, aiming to secure the space needed before planning permission can be granted.
Progress has been slow so far. But United’s Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche has now offered some insight into where things stand.
Man United stadium receives promising update
Back when plans were first unveiled, the expectation was that ground could be broken on the new stadium within 2025.
With only a few weeks left in the year, though, that timeline now seems unlikely.
Speaking to Sky Sports, United’s chief operating officer Roche sounded an optimistic note about how things are progressing.
“We’ve still got a huge ambition to build a new stadium here at Old Trafford. There’s clearly a lot of work that needs to be done to get us to the point before we put any spades in the ground,” he began by saying.
“We’re currently in several conversations with local landowners to make sure we can secure the best piece of land that we wanna put this stadium on that will hopefully be there for over 100 years. And in the background, we’re doing a lot of work with the local authorities to make that happen.
“They’re gonna launch Mayoral Development Corporation, formally, in January and I think that will be a good sort of milestone if you like, in terms of the wider regeneration.
“We’re really, really ambitious, a lot of work is happening – albeit behind the scenes – and hopefully soon we’ll be able to come forward with some bigger news.”
Update on When Manchester United’s new stadium could get underway
For the stadium to be ready by the 2030/31 season as planned, construction needs to get going soon.
On a more encouraging note, it looks like United are close to securing the necessary land, which has been one of the main obstacles so far.
The Red Devils are already planning a bid to host matches during the 2035 Women’s World Cup, suggesting there is real confidence internally that progress will be made.
In the meantime, United will continue playing at Old Trafford until the new stadium is ready. Once they have moved in, the Theatre of Dreams will be demolished.
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