Manchester United have put back a final decision on stadium development until next summer.

Delivery of a new 100,000-capacity stadium as the centrepiece of a huge regeneration project would be boosted if United could secure additional land around their existing Old Trafford home.

United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family are being urged by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force headed by Lord Coe to be as “bold and brave as possible” by maximising the potential impact of any stadium development.

While both redevelopment and new-build options are still on the table, a recent survey sent to around 500,000 United supporters established that some 52 per cent of fans were open to the idea of a new-build.

A redeveloped Old Trafford is the preference for 31 per cent of fans, with 17 per cent said to be unsure which option they would prefer.

Supporters split on stadium plans

For the new-build option, unlocking its full potential – and making it a catalyst for one of the biggest regeneration projects the country has seen – would ideally require land adjacent to Old Trafford that is occupied by a huge rail freight terminal being repurposed on a reimagined 100-acre site.

United want to explore what is possible to maximise the area available to the club and are not expected to understand that fully until next spring.

Credit: Manchester United/Old Trafford Regeneration

United will fund stadium development themselves

There is an expectation that the city’s civic leaders will have greater clarity by then over what last week’s Budget will mean for Greater Manchester in terms of capital infrastructure investment. Other options, which may not require additional land, are also being explored.

United will fund any new stadium development themselves, with financing options and what that would mean for supporters being explored, but there could be public money for related transport and infrastructure costs that would enable such a project to realise its full potential and benefit the wider region.

The stadium task force, which also comprises former United captain Gary Neville and the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, are due to deliver their “options report” by the end of next month.

Yet a final decision on a new stadium versus redevelopment of Old Trafford has been pushed back to next summer as the club wait for greater clarity over feasibility options, including potential relocation of the freight terminal and the Mayor’s budget in March.

New stadium could hinge on relocation of freight terminal to St Helens

Burnham recently asked the government for the money to help relocate freight trains away from Manchester to a purpose-built facility at Parkside East in St Helens, a large town on the eastern edge of Liverpool, so they are not competing for track space with passenger rail services. He believes that would improve trains for commuters at the same time as giving United a much larger area to redevelop Old Trafford.

Burnham and Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram are both working on a deal with Freightliner, which occupies the site, that they hope could benefit both cities. The club are also understood to be in discussions with Freightliner to explore mutually beneficial options, too.

Telegraph Sport understands that the task force has challenged United’s owners to be as “bold and brave as possible in their thinking” and look at a plan that can deliver not just for United fans but for the community of Greater Manchester and how this could be an enabling project for other infrastructure work.

The news comes as United prepare to host a number of informal town hall meetings at Old Trafford on Tuesday afternoon and evening when supporters will have the chance to hear about some of the work done so far in addition to voicing their opinions and ideas.

In September, United asked around 500,000 men, women’s and executive season ticket holders, including those on waiting lists, and official club members to complete a survey over the stadium plans in the first phase of an extensive fan consultation process.

Development could create 92,000 new jobs and 17,000 homes

More than half of those who responded indicated they would be open to the idea of a new-build. Around 90 per cent of fans were said to be positive towards the club’s wider aims and ambitions around the stadium project.

A recent economic feasibility study commissioned by the club found that a Trafford Park regeneration project with a new 100,000-capacity stadium at its heart could generate £7.3 billion annually into the UK economy.

The Oxford Economics report claimed the development’s potential benefits would include the creation of 92,000 jobs, more than 17,000 new homes and an additional 1.8 million visitors each year.

Telegraph Sport reported in the summer how United have been drawing inspiration from the £4.25 billion Hollywood Park complex in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood, which is home to the spectacular SoFi Stadium where the team played Arsenal on their pre-season tour of the US in July.

They have also been busy scoping out the Chicago Bears NFL’s team Burnham Park project, which aims to transform Chicago’s lake front by building a publicly owned, multi-purpose stadium as the centre-piece of a stunning new sports, entertainment, recreation and cultural campus. Construction is due to start next summer ahead of a planned grand opening in 2028.

United are already working in partnership with the Trafford Wharfside regeneration scheme that is being led by Trafford Council and which launched in February given the large-scale potential synergies with that project.

The town hall sessions are each expected to be attended by several hundred fans as well as the club’s chief operating officer, Collette Roche, head of fan engagement, Rick McGagh, and Dan Jones, who is on the stadium task force.
The International Suite at Old Trafford will also be open on Wednesday for fans to view exhibition materials around the stadium project at their own leisure.

Staff from Foster + Partners, the architects appointed to develop a master plan for the Old Trafford “stadium district”, will be present to answer fans’ questions.