Man Utd new stadium plans Q&A: What happens to Old Trafford?

Man Utd have confirmed plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium next to Old Trafford. Sky Sports looks at some of the key questions surrounding the announcement...

What becomes of the current Old Trafford stadium?

The new stadium will be built next to the current ground, although it is unclear what will happen to Old Trafford.

Club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has previously stressed he wants to keep the 'essence' of the famous ground, saying: "Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.

"By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home."

When will it be completed?

No timescale has yet been given for the completion of the new stadium.

Neither has a start date for any regeneration or building works.

What's wrong with Old Trafford?

The falling standards of United's ground have been well-documented, the latest example coming in the wake of their home defeat to Arsenal in May 2024, where areas of the stadium flooded following a thunderstorm, with water also falling through the roof.

Other videos of run-down parts of the ground have circulated online in recent years and even though it is the largest club stadium in England, it was not selected to be one of the host venues for Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland.

"It's a beautiful stadium, Old Trafford - but I'm not a fan of the roof because I think it comes in too low," said United We Stand editor Andy Mitten.

"Old Trafford shouldn't be getting smaller, it should be getting bigger."

The last time the club undertook major works on Old Trafford was in May 2006, when 8,000 seats were added to the north-west and north-east quadrants of the stadium.

That work was approved before the Glazer family took control of the club in June 2005, meaning no work has been done to renovate Old Trafford since United's majority shareholders took over 19 years ago.

Will capacity be reduced at Old Trafford while work goes on?

Old Trafford can hold 74,000 spectators, but it is not clear if any areas of the ground will need to be reduced as building works progress.

Will Man Utd have to play elsewhere for a period of time?

There is a possibility that Man Utd would have to play in another stadium as plans progress around Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur played at Wembley for almost three years between 2016 and 2019 as their new ground was being built. Previously, Fulham also played at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was being refurbished.

Geographically, Manchester City's Etihad Stadium is the closest ground to Old Trafford. There are also options further afield, with two Premier League grounds in nearby Liverpool, including Anfield and Everton's new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.

However, there has been no confirmation that Man Utd would need to play elsewhere or where that possibly could be.

What will new stadium be called?

There has been no confirmation on any potential name for the new stadium. However, it could come with naming rights, such as Arsenal did when they moved to the Emirates in 2006.

What is the cost?

The Telegraph reported last year that expanding Old Trafford would cost United around £800m, whereas a new ground could come to as much as £2bn.

As part of his £1.2bn deal to buy a stake in United, Ratcliffe is putting £239m into the club to help boost the club's infrastructure. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim, who rivalled Ratcliffe in the running to control United, was willing to pledge £1.27bn for the same work.

Financing has been one of the key considerations of the task force and a wide variety of potential private funding sources will be explored. There could be opportunities for a public-private partnership to power the regeneration of the area.

However, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham revealed in September that United are not seeking public money to fund the regeneration of the stadium.

"Whatever it is they [Ratcliffe and INEOS] want, we will facilitate and we will be there to make sure the club is set up for the future," he said.