Man United new stadium plans could be binned, Old Trafford refurbishment might happen instead
Manchester United's stadium plans could be readjusted to cope with the club's rising level of debt.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes Old Trafford could end up being renovated instead of the club building a new stadium.
Delays and rising costs are hitting Man United's project to build a new 100,000-seater stadium so far, with work having not yet commenced.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking at ways to increase matchday revenue at Old Trafford, with season ticket prices having risen by five per cent for the fourth successive season.
It comes amid Man United's rising debt, which is now reported to be close to £1.3billion, which may have an effect on how much the club can borrow to aid financing their stadium project.
Man United fans 'lobbying' for refurbished Old Trafford
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs - believes Man United's plans may start becoming less ambitious due to financial constraints.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the debt is a "big issue."
| Annual Turnover | £666.5m |
| Wage Bill | 14% down |
| Matchday Revenue | £160.3m |
| Broadcast Income | £172.9m |
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Is it so compelling for local governments in Manchester to support a project that, after all, becomes just another normal stadium project, as opposed to a huge, iconic international project?
"All these things start to come into effect. And so, yes, there are a lot of question marks starting to develop around Man United and the whole new stadium project altogether. Will it end up being an Old Trafford being refurbished?
"That may be the way that it ends up going. I know a lot of fans have been lobbying for that. And so we'll see as we go forward, but certainly the debt is a big issue.”
Harry Maguire contract update
Former chief scout at Old Trafford Mick Brown has told Football Insider that Man United are planning to hand Harry Maguire a new contract at the club.
Maguire has established himself as a key figure under Michael Carrick, and his performances have earned a recall to the England squad.
The 33-year-old's experience could prove key if Carrick gets the job on a full-time basis, and a new contract will fend off interest from the likes of Everton in the summer transfer window.