MANCHESTER UNITED’S new stadium architect Lord Norman Foster believes the £2billion proposal is “the project of a lifetime”.
United unveiled ambitious plans for a 100,000-seater ground earlier this year, with aims of transforming the Old Trafford area.
Club chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe hopes the stadium will become “the Wembley of the North”.
United have targeted a completion date in five years’ time despite a costly project that involves a giant umbrella being erected on top.
Lord Foster hailed United’s stadium plans and believes they will have a “galvanising” effect on the club and city.
When asked if he was excited to be involved, he replied: “You bet. The fan base is incredible.
“It’s a galvanising project… and so many things can naturally ride on the back of that sporting, emblematic kind of team.”
Lord Foster added that the project was a “master plan that will create streets, squares, neighbourhoods and connect with the heart of Manchester”.
On the unique feel of the stadium, he added: “Manchester United is different and therefore its stadium’s going to be different… and better, of course.”
His Foster + Partners firm saw revenue jump from £421.7million to £652.9m for the year to 30 April 2025, with the United project set to land them an even bigger boost.
Old Trafford, United’s home since 1910, is likely to be demolished once the new stadium has been built.
It will feature an enormous public plaza that will be “twice the size of Trafalgar Square”.
The plans come during one of the most turbulent periods in the club’s history.
United are struggling on the pitch and have reported debts of more than £1bn and Ratcliffe has been overseeing a string of cost-cutting measures at the club.
He has raised ticket prices, slashed concessions and removed free lunches in the club’s training ground canteen.
Ratcliffe said the club would have “gone bust by Christmas” without the changes he had implemented.
Speaking about the stadium plans earlier this year, he said the goal was to create a unique and stylish arena.
He said: “The brief to Norman Foster here was to build the world’s most iconic football stadium. It had to be a stadium which was recognisable around the world.
“We said to Norman that we would like a stadium where when anybody in the world sees that stadium, they’ll know it’s Manchester United.
“It’s more than a new stadium. Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower, everyone wants to visit. Everyone in the world will want to come visit this stadium.”
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