“Pathetic” government response doesn’t bode well for Man United’s stadium redevelopment



Sir Jim Ratcliffe would appear to be set on building a Wembley of the North for Man United, but his stadium plans seem to have been dealt a significant blow.

The new Old Trafford could be a massive white elephant, but that’s the least of the part-owner’s worries after Sir Jim was recently surrounded by angry Man United fans.

It’s certainly been a tumultuous time for the Red Devils this season.

Man United stadium plans potentially dealt huge blow

After initially keeping Erik ten Hag in the managerial position, he was then unceremoniously dumped for Ruben Amorim, whilst the club spent months chasing sporting director, Dan Ashworth, only to relieve him of his duties after a few months.

General view outside the stadium as fans make their way towards Old Trafford prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Leicester City FC at Old Trafford on November 10, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Building either an upgraded Old Trafford or a brand new, 100,000 capacity stadium would appear to be high on the agenda for INEOS, as they look to maximise revenue for the club, top up their own investment and increase their popularity in the process.

It was thought that the government would be helping United to achieve their aims with regards to the new stadium, however, football finance expert, Stefan Borson, believes there’s little chance of that.

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“I think the significance is probably around how it’s (new stadium) positioned by the new government as part of one or two major projects that they are going to really back,” he told Football Insider.

“One of them is Heathrow, and then it seems to be this redevelopment of Manchester. It was interesting when Rachel Reeves was asked the question directly that she had no answer for what contribution the government would be making to the project.

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“She just didn’t know, and her answer was pathetic. She just said ‘That’s Andy Burnam’s project as Mayor of Manchester’. I don’t really understand that.

“I suspect the reality is that, from an optics perspective and a public-facing perspective, there is no possibility that they can pay for any part of the stadium.”


 

If Borson’s hunch proves to be correct, it’ll surely be another nail in the coffin for Sir Jim, who has quickly become as hated as the Glazer family by the long-suffering United faithful.