The new Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly hoping to turn Old Trafford into the “Wembley of the North”, teasing ambitious plans to redevelop the club and its ageing stadium, as well as potentially reaching out to the government for extra funding.
Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group completed their 25% purchase of the football club on Christmas Eve 2023 and have gradually been laying foundations to rebuild the club and its infrastructure, such as installing Sir Dave Brailsford. Updating their iconic home ground is also at the top of the agenda for a lot of fans.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport in an exclusive interview, sources close to Ratcliffe have relayed that the British billionaire “feels the club needs an absolute state-of-the-art, knock-it-out-of-the-park, ‘wow’ stadium” to compete with the likes of the Etihad, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and, of course, Wembley.
For anyone who’s been living under a rock over the past few seasons, not only has the level of football and success declined in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years at United but so too have the Old Trafford facilities, with numerous clips of leaks, even crumbling debris and more going viral.
There's a leak at Old Trafford. Imagine having a ticket in that seat tonight. 😂🌧
Nevertheless, the Failsworth-born businessman and his executive team apparently “feel there’s a strong argument for the country having a top-class major venue in the North – a Wembley of the North”, and that with the right investment Old Trafford can become that location.
While there had been some calls to bulldoze the site altogether and build a brand-new stadium, especially when Qatari investors were still looking to buy the club outright, the question of whether to renovate or start again is a sticking point for many, including Ratcliffe himself.
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The report goes on to state that Ratcliffe is “broadly opposed to the idea of United having to relocate but believes supporters would be amenable to the idea of a world-leading new stadium on land immediately surrounding Old Trafford, the club’s home for the past 114 years.”
EXCL. Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants #MUFC to create the “Wembley of the North” under bold plans for a spectacular new Old Trafford home. Could seek to lobby government for funds amid “Levelling Up” pledges given potential scale/nature of project This & more: https://t.co/Bx2sJij9HU
As the sources go on to say, “The spiritual home is important” but they did go on to add that “We think the fans would be quite happy to accept a brand new stadium if we stay where we are.”
Other key features that the current stadium lacks include reliable public WiFi and a screen for VAR decisions, which more and more clubs now have as standard given its prevalence in the modern game.
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However, the problem presented by simply refurbishing the existing structure is that as the likes of Chris Lee, the managing director of Populous — the architectural designers overseeing the project — already told the outlet in December that a new stadium may end up being the cheapest option long-term.
They went on to insist that “the building is reaching the end of its natural life”, detailing that “the cabling, the electricity supplies, everything is nearing its sell-by date”. The question is, Reds, would you update the existing Old Trafford or knock it down and start again?
Featured Images — Ank Kumar (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City
Danny Jones
Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.
The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.
Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.
While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.
🗣️ "When people had to be serious, they were serious"
Scott Carson reveals what it was like working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/HZGjVkrso0
Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.
Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.
While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.
Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.
Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”
Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.
As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.
In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.
You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
Danny Jones -
6th February 2024 
