Manchester United CEO says new stadium investment may impact spending on squad

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada said there was a risk the club's investment in a new £2 billion (US$2.58 billion) stadium could impact spending on the squad and affect competitiveness for the next five years.

United sit 14th in the Premier League after finishing eighth last season and face a critical balancing act between infrastructure upgrades and on-field ambitions.

"That is a risk. Clearly it's something we want to avoid," Berrada told reporters on Tuesday (Maar 11) at the unveiling of conceptual images of the new stadium.

"We don’t want to inhibit our ability to invest in the team, for us to continue being competitive while we are building a new stadium."

Berrada said that the club would make every effort to remain competitive over the period required to build their 100,000-seat stadium that will be the biggest in Britain, next to the existing Old Trafford.

"There are various ways around that; one of the things we are looking at is to shorten the construction timelines so we can have a new stadium within five years, that’s our ambition."