Kieran Maguire

Sat 30 December 2023 19:17, UK

It would be more sensible for Man United to build a new £2billion stadium than it would be to renovate Old Trafford.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that Old Trafford is ‘not fit for purpose’ in the 21st century.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent takeover of United was announced by the Red Devils on Christmas Eve, with the British billionaire pledging an additional £245million for infrastructure improvements at the club.

As revealed by Football Insider, Ratcliffe’s INEOS team have outlined an eight-year plan to address the stadium issues at United.

Ratcliffe plans to expand the capacity of Old Trafford to 90,000 but constructing a completely new stadium on nearby land has also not been ruled out.

As reported by The Telegraph, Populous CEO Chris Lee – the construction team behind Tottenham’s new stadium – believes a new stadium will be the most ‘cost-effective’ option for Ratcliffe.

Maguire fears that renovating the current Old Trafford will ignore the needs of United’s ‘hardcore’ fanbase.

“A 21st-century stadium for one of the most iconic clubs on the planet is the sensible thing to do,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“We’ve seen the transformation happen at Spurs.

“We’ve also seen the work being undertaken at Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“While Old Trafford is iconic and historic, it’s not fit for purpose.

“My fear is that if additional money is spent on the existing stadium, it will be mainly focused on the prawn sandwich brigade.

“Hardcore reds who have had to put up with the leaking roof, inadequate catering facilities, archaic toilets, and whose legitimate complaints have been ignored, will continue to be marginalised under a new project.

“The focus will instead be on building an extra four or five thousand additional seats and trying to ensure that those are at prime prices.“

In other news, Man United ready to accept defender offer – giants in pole position to agree deal