Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney follow in Man United's footsteps as major Wrexham decision made

Wrexham AFC have appointed architects Populous, with whom Manchester United have previously discussed Old Trafford redevelopments, to oversee their redesign of the Kop at the STōK Racecourse Ground.

The Welsh club, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are looking to expand capacity of the stand to 5,500 and include safe standing areas, accessible seating and hospitality. Work will aim to be completed by 2026, in time for the Under-19 European Championships.

United had employed Populous to assess potential regeneration plans at Old Trafford back in 2022, before the arrival of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe last season. The firm had overseen the construction of Tottenham’s new state-of-the-art stadium, which opened in April 2019.

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Among its vast array of projects, Populous has also worked on stadia in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup and Wembley Stadium, and is currently conducting the building of Inter Milan’s new home in Italy.

Closer to home, it completed work on a new VAR hub in London last year and helped erect the Co-Op live arena in Manchester. It also oversaw the Etihad Stadium expansion and Tunnel Club installation in 2015.

United have pivoted away from Populous within Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans for a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford and have chosen Mancunian business Foster + Partners to assess the potential regeneration of the area.

The company has worked with Populous on several projects, focusing on the aesthetic elements of construction. Ratcliffe has set up a taskforce - which includes Manchester mayor