MANCHESTER UNITED chief Omar Berrada has given the clearest indication yet that the club will only build a new stadium if it receives financial backing from the government.
Earlier this year minority United owner and billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled ambitious new plans for a £2bn stadium which would hold 100,000 fans and be built next to the current Old Trafford.
Manchester United unveiled plans to build a 100,000-seater stadium earlier this year[/caption]
United CEO Omar Berrada has hinted that the project won’t go ahead without government funding[/caption]
Sir Jim said plans to regenerate the area around the stadium with 17,000 homes, shops, restaurants and hotels, would boost the UK economy by £7.3bn.
But the plans could only go ahead if the surrounding area was developed using taxpayers’ money.
In a recent interview with Red Issue fanzine, Berada said: “We still see the stadium as the catalyst for the wider regeneration project.
“So we do need the government to commit to developing the area around the stadium for it to make sense.
“Without it it doesn’t make sense for us to build the stadium as a standalone.
“We believe that it could be a catalyst for one of the biggest, if not the biggest regeneration projects that this area of the country has ever seen.
“And it’ll bring benefits for the wider community in terms of home, jobs, health, and all that, that can yield an enormous amount of positive impact.
“Hopefully the government will support it and put the funds behind it.”
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Concept images of the ground have teased a huge wraparound scoreboard, along with a three-storey museum and canal-side restaurants as part of a vast fan village.
If the plans do go ahead United will be able to continue playing at Old Trafford during the construction process, before demolishing the historic ground once they move into their new home.
During the announcement of the ambitious project, Ratcliffe said: “Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.
“By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience, only footsteps from our historic home.”
