Manchester United face expensive Old Trafford decision with Sir Jim Ratcliffe compromise inevitable

A world-class stadium is one of the core objectives for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Manchester United vision.

Whether that be a redevelopment of Old Trafford or constructing a completely new, bespoke stadium remains to be seen. Still, the United minority owner, who acquired a near-28 per cent stake in the club in January, has dreams of creating a ‘Wembley of the North’.

In February, Trafford Council announced proposals for major investment in the Trafford Wharfside area where Old Trafford sits, with the stadium core to the development plans for the area’s regeneration. Old Trafford has been neglected badly under the ownership of the Glazer family, the decaying stadium somewhat symbolic of the club’s direction under the owners at times.

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Of the ‘Big Six’ teams, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham have all moved into new stadiums over the past two decades, while Liverpool have revamped Anfield to take its capacity to 62,000, creating a world-class stadium in the process. Chelsea also have plans for a new home.

Whether it is redevelopment or a new build, the cost will be astronomical, way beyond the kind of figures that have been seen in recent years, such as the £1.2bn it cost to build the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Geo-political issues and the increased cost of borrowing mean that any new development or redevelopment is likely to push beyond the £2bn mark, and that is a lot of capital to find.

A man of such resources as Ratcliffe, head of one of the world’s biggest petrochemical companies, INEOS, won’t have too many roadblocks in