Man Utd say plans for 100,000-capacity stadium ‘on track’ but no timeframe yet

Manchester United say plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium are “on track”, but they have yet to finalise its exact location or timeframe.

The club unveiled plans for what would be the largest stadium in the UK last year and the project remains in its formative phase.

Colette Roche, the club executive leading the development, says progress behind the scenes has been significant – particularly on investment and land positioning – but downplayed suggestions of completion by 2030.

Roche told the club’s official podcast: “When we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction and that’s right.

“But I think people read that as we might have the stadium ready for 2030, but with a stadium build as complex as the one that we’re going to enter into, it does take one or two years to get ready for construction – to get the land assembled, to get the funds in place and to get the planning permission.

“So that’s the part that we’re doing right now. So we’ve not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales.”

The £2billion stadium is planned for land adjacent to the club’s Old Trafford home, although efforts to secure the full site – with a nearby freight terminal proving problematic – are ongoing.

The club are also seeking to attract funding from multiple sources, with the proposals extending beyond the stadium itself to a wider regeneration project.

Roche said: “Some of the examples of progress we’ve made is first and foremost on the land assembly.

“We want to make sure we get the best possible position for this stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that’s connected and offers a