Manchester United have promised that work is ongoing behind the scenes on the project to build a new 100,000-seater stadium. Fans have called for communication on the plan since it was unveiled last year. The club has not begun construction yet, but it is hoped that a new Old Trafford would be built in time to host the women's World Cup in 2035, described as a "brilliant opportunity" for the region.
Omar Berrada - June 2026
United CEO Berrada was asked about the present situation with the stadium project when he spoke to the club's podcast last week. "Hopefully we'll have some news to share in the next weeks or months," he said. "Once we've secured the land and we know the exact location of where the new stadium could be, then we will proceed to finalise the design at the stadium, which will then lead us to have a very good understanding of what the potential cost is."
United need to strike an agreement with Freightliner for the ground around the stadium to begin construction work. Last summer, reports claimed Freightliner valued the land at £350 million, although Andy Burnham played down that figure, saying: "I think everyone should file that one away." Burnham mentioned that compulsory purchase powers could be used if necessary, and it might be getting to that stage, as there has been no breakthrough communicated from talks with Freightliner.
Collette Roche - March 2026
United announced Collette Roche had been appointed as 'chief executive officer, new stadium development' in January. Two months later, she appeared on the club's podcast and provided an update. "We've made a lot of progress in the last 12 months, but a lot of it has been behind the scenes," said Roche. "We want to make sure we get the best possible position for this stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that's connected and offers a great match day experience."
Speaking about when the project could be completed, Roche added: "When we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction. But it does take one or two years to get ready for construction. To get the land assembled, to get the funds in place and to get the planning permission. So that's the part that we're doing right now. So we've not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales."
Club spokesperson - March 2026
United confirmed in March that the stadium would be funded privately, with a club spokesperson saying during a fans' forum: "Our proposed new stadium will be financed privately, and we continue to have positive conversations with potential investors and all stakeholders." That update raised the possibility that United could reach record levels of debt to finance the new stadium project, as the club's current debt is close to £1.3 billion. Sir Jim Ratcliffe initially floated the idea of taxpayers partly funding the project, but that notion was rejected by politicians.
Andy Burnham - November 2025
Burnham insisted that not a penny of public money would be granted to construct United's new stadium, but he discussed the huge economic benefits a regeneration project surrounding the stadium would provide. Burnham said: "It's not about giving them money because we have a really clear principle here. Manchester United will be paying for the stadium. There will not be a penny of public money going into that. But we absolutely have a role to play in making everything around the stadium as good as it can be because of the economic benefit that brings."
"Thousands of new homes, thousands of new jobs, so it's much wider than the ground itself," he added.
Club spokesperson - October 2025
United confirmed Foster + Partner's design work had been paused while talks continued with Freightliner to acquire the necessary land. A spokesperson said: "Early design work has been intentionally paused until we have greater clarity on land assembly and fan requirements. We remain excited by the vision set out by Foster + Partners for a new stadium at the heart of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area. We always said this was a conceptual design, with more detailed architectural work to follow. While we remain keen to advance as quickly as possible, the timetable is subject to progress on land assembly and financing."
