New images of Manchester United's proposed new 'Wembley of the North' stadium have been revealed following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's proposal of a new Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe has made no secret of his wish to completely revolutionize United both on and off the pitch since it was confirmed he acquired 25% of the club of the Glazers.
The decision to move away from Old Trafford has been a controversial one for supporters due to the sentimental value of their current stadium, but it is no secret the ground needs serious following years of neglect.
In a recent interview via The Independent Ratcliffe explained his decision to push for a move away from Old Trafford.
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“We can refurbish the ground and have a fantastic stadium, that will take about a billion to do that, and the club can shoulder that burden. But we have got this opportunity to build a new ground if we choose to. We’ve got enough space to build a completely new ground," Ratcliffe explained.
“If we build a completely new ground, it would be state of the art, world-class, [have a capacity of] 90,000 or even 100,000. I think that then provides a platform for some of the big competitions in the north of England. Why shouldn’t England play in the north? Why is the FA Cup final always in the south?
“It (United) needs to have a stadium that is befitting the club and the brand. That might have been the case 20 years ago, but it isn’t today. [Old Trafford] is a little bit tired."
Here are some AI images of what the new stadium may look like via OLBG:
Ratcliffe used the example of the various Spanish stadiums to back himself up, claiming despite the Premier League's superiority the league is still well behind La Liga when it comes to stadia.
“If you look at what Real Madrid are doing with the Bernabeu and Barcelona with the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu is fabulous. It’s like a cauldron of noise. The Nou Camp is enormous and they are spending a lot of money revamping it," Ratcliffe said.
“You look at the Premier League, we don’t have anything that compares. And yet the Premier League is several times bigger than the Spanish league in terms of size, scale and importance today. That’s where all the money is with TV. The Premier League needs to have some grounds which are the equal of our European competitors," He added.
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, La Liga, Real Madrid, Barcelona
Tom Jenkins