Man United take important step on way to new stadium after making key decision

Manchester United have taken the next step in their plans to build a new stadium

Manchester United have now officially appointed Foster + Partners as the architects for the new £2billion stadium project. Lord Norman Foster is a close friend of United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and has been involved throughout the planning process.

The Daily Mail says sources have now confirmed that Foster + Partners have been appointed after an update at a recent fans’ forum, with ‘the focus now shifts to the design phase of the new stadium in partnership with Foster + Partners.’

The club had previously been asked why an open tender had not been held regarding the redevelopment of Old Trafford, in line with the club’s fiduciary duty to shareholders. That followed on from a Foster + Partners unveiling a controversial tent design of the new stadium.

The ambitious new project is expected to cost in the region of £2billion, with a 100,000 capacity which has been dubbed the ‘Wembley of the North.’

United have now, unsurprisingly appointed Foster + Partners, clearing the next hurdle in on route to building a new ground.

Speaking about the decision to build a new stadium back in March 2025, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “Yeah, we spent a lot of time looking at the pros and cons of refurbishing the existing stadium, which has obviously got all the history of building a new stadium.

“And you know, it wasn’t the easiest of decisions in a way, because, you know, the history of Manchester United is so important. But, ultimately, I suppose where we finished up was that we’ve got a ground at Old Trafford today, which is a bit piecemeal, isn’t it?

“You know stadiums which were built or stands that were built at different times: they don’t fit together very well. The roof leaks. It hasn’t got the finest infrastructure. The players can’t arrive underground and all that type of stuff.

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“It’s right next to the railway, which compresses the fans when they arrive, so we can’t get people into the ground that easily and out of the ground. You know this expression: don’t spend good money after bad. I think what would have happened if we tried to refurbish the stadium, we would have discovered that it actually would probably have been 70 per cent of the cost of building a new stadium.

“And in 25 years’ time, we’d be talking about building a new stadium because it wouldn’t be perfect. So then we looked at the option of a new stadium and, of course, you can design the perfect stadium then – you can build a very large stadium.

“You can, you know, the access in and out, the sort of interesting things you can do around the stadium. Like you can build a museum, you can build shops, you could build a fanzone where people can watch matches, away matches, you know, with big screens and all that sort of stuff.

“Ultimately, it came down to, you know, what’s the wisest way of spending Manchester United’s money? Because at the end of the day, it’s Manchester United’s money that effectively will be behind it. We talked to lots of fans as well; they’ve obviously got a great sort of attraction and sympathy with that old ground.

“But, ultimately, I think what we were hearing was that, if this really was a fabulous, iconic new stadium, then they would accept that that was a good decision. So we did try to think about it from the fans’ point of view. That was the conclusion we came up with, that it would be a good way to invest money.

“And you know, we’re not leaving behind the tradition and history of Manchester United. It’s the same team that’s going to be playing. And it’s, you know, it’s still got the same soul of Manchester United.”