Manchester United name company to develop Old Trafford masterplan

Manchester United have appointed Foster + Partners to develop a masterplan for the area surrounding Old Trafford as part of their ambitious regeneration project.

The Premier League club are looking either at redeveloping the nation's largest club stadium, or to build a new one on adjacent club-owned land.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe favours a new ground and the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force is understood to have centred its discussions on building a new 100,000-capacity stadium rather than redeveloping the existing ground.

The club have now appointed Foster + Partners "to develop a masterplan for the Old Trafford Stadium District, covering the Club-owned land that surrounds the existing stadium".

The architectural practice is already overseeing the £50million modernisation of the Carrington Training Complex and United stressed in Friday's statement that "the stadium itself will not form part of this exercise".

The club say the ground "design will begin once the club has decided on the development options" but "a world-class stadium will ultimately sit at the heart of this ambitious new masterplan".

Before Ratcliffe came onboard, architects Populous and management consultants Legends International looked at options for a new stadium or redeveloped one having been appointed stadium masterplanners in April 2022.

Foster + Partners worked with Populous on Wembley Stadium and Lusail Stadium, the host of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.

United chief operating officer Collette Roche said: "We have a clear vision to transform and revitalise the club-owned land around Old Trafford and we know that Foster + Partners is the best partner to help us develop the plans.

"This is an area of Greater Manchester ready for major new