Man Utd new stadium plans Q&A: What happens to Old Trafford? Will they play elsewhere? How much will it cost?

Man Utd have confirmed plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium next to Old Trafford. Sky Sports looks at some of the key questions surrounding the announcement…

What becomes of the current Old Trafford stadium?

The new stadium will be built next to the current ground, although it is unclear what will happen to Old Trafford.

Club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has previously stressed he wants to keep the ‘essence’ of the famous ground, saying: “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.”

When will it be completed?

In a promotional video for the new stadium, architect Lord Norman Foster says the stadium will take five years to build.

However, no start date for any regeneration or building works has been given. That timeframe is also not accounting for any possible building delays.

Ratcliffe said: “On the timeline for this, it starts with a discussion. It depends how quickly the government get going with their regeneration programme.

“I think they want to get going quite quickly, because they want to see progress in this parliament.

“I’m assuming that will go well and it will go quickly. The second part is that it’ll be a modular build… that means it can be built far more quickly. There are yards which specialise in building very large structures, which are then shipped to locations around the world.

“So that halves the time. Normally, if you were building a 100,000-seater stadium from the ground up, in an area that needs to be regenerated, it’s a 10-year project. But if we get going with the government then I think it’s a five-year project, not a 10-year project.”

Will Man Utd have to play elsewhere for a period of time?

Sky Sports News’ Melissa Reddy reports that Manchester United will continue to play at Old Trafford while the new stadium is being built.

However, if these plans were to change, there has been precedent in recent years for teams playing in a different stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur played at Wembley for almost three years between 2016 and 2019 as their new ground was being built. Previously, Fulham also played at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was being refurbished.

Geographically, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium is the closest ground to Old Trafford. There are also options further afield, with two Premier League grounds in nearby Liverpool, including Anfield and Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.

What’s wrong with Old Trafford?

The falling standards of United’s ground have been well-documented, the latest example coming in the wake of their home defeat to Arsenal in May 2024, where areas of the stadium flooded following a thunderstorm, with water also falling through the roof.

Other videos of run-down parts of the ground have circulated online in recent years and even though it is the largest club stadium in England, it was not selected to be one of the host venues for Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland.

“It’s a beautiful stadium, Old Trafford – but I’m not a fan of the roof because I think it comes in too low,” said United We Stand editor Andy Mitten.

“Old Trafford shouldn’t be getting smaller, it should be getting bigger.”

The last time the club undertook major works on Old Trafford was in May 2006, when 8,000 seats were added to the north-west and north-east quadrants of the stadium.

That work was approved before the Glazer family took control of the club in June 2005, meaning no work has been done to renovate Old Trafford since United’s majority shareholders took over 19 years ago.

Will capacity be reduced at Old Trafford while work goes on?

Old Trafford can hold 74,000 spectators, but it is not clear if any areas of the ground will need to be reduced as building works progress.

What will new stadium be called?

There has been no confirmation on any potential name for the new stadium, although it has been referred to as ‘New Trafford Stadium’ in a factsheet from the architects, Foster and Partners.

However, it is possible that a new ground will come with naming rights, such as Arsenal did when they moved to the Emirates in 2006.

When discussing this possibility, Man Utd CEO Omar Berrarda told Sky Sports News: “We’re looking at all the options. It’s still very early days. We do see this as a very attractive investment opportunity.”

What is the cost?

The Telegraph reported last year that expanding Old Trafford would cost United around £800m, whereas a new ground could come to as much as £2bn.

As part of his £1.2bn deal to buy a stake in United, Ratcliffe is putting £239m into the club to help boost the club’s infrastructure. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim, who rivalled Ratcliffe in the running to control United, was willing to pledge £1.27bn for the same work.

Financing has been one of the key considerations of the task force and a wide variety of potential private funding sources will be explored. There could be opportunities for a public-private partnership to power the regeneration of the area.

However, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealed in September that United are not seeking public money to fund the regeneration of the stadium.

“Whatever it is they [Ratcliffe and INEOS] want, we will facilitate and we will be there to make sure the club is set up for the future,” he said.

Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol reports that Manchester United’s debt stands at more than £1bn. The club have a financial debt of £731m and a transfer debt of £391m.