“It would clearly be my preference”: Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he wants to build a new stadium for Man United – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has indicated that his desire is to build a completely new stadium for the club that would also “serve the north of England.”

A previous report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Ratcliffe is keen to establish a “Wembley of the North” to be utilized as United’s home.

It’s believed that the INEOS billionaire wants a state-of-the-art facility for United that would rival all other grounds in Europe.

It was suggested that Ratcliffe and his team had settled on revamping Old Trafford rather than tearing it down completely.

However, according to the man himself, a new stadium would be his preference and that option is currently being explored.

On Tuesday night, United confirmed that Ratcliffe had completed his 25% partial investment into the club.

He can now start work in an official capacity. Barely 24 hours after the announcement, Ratcliffe conducted an interview with BBC and weighed in on a number of topics, including Old Trafford.

He said, “It’s about time someone built a national stadium in the north of England.”

The 71-year-old remarked, “If it can be achieved, it would clearly be my preference. I would be very excited for the North of England.”

“Trafford Park is where the industrial revolution began. If you look at that region of Manchester today – only a mile from the centre – it is tired and neglected and parts are quite run down. There is quite a big argument, in my view, for regenerating that whole south side of Manchester.”

“The nucleus of it would be building a new world-class state-of-the-art stadium which could take England games, the FA Cup final, Champions League finals. It could serve the north of England.”

“There is a bias in the UK in terms of where national stadiums have been built – they are all in the south. There is a lot of talk about levelling up. HS2 has been cancelled and all that is going to be spent on the rail network in London. The people in the north pay their taxes just as the people in the south.”

“Why shouldn’t there be a venue in the north of England for England to play at? Why does everyone in the north have to go to the south for the semi-finals of the FA Cup?”

When asked if public funding would be taken into account, the petrochemicals mogul added, “I think, as part of a regeneration project, there has to be a conversation with the national government. The north deserves some thought as well as the south, I think, if it is a national stadium.”