Mayor Andy Burnham has claimed that Manchester United’s plans to redevelop Old Trafford are not only massive for the club and Greater Manchester but that they could prove to be one of the biggest Levelling Up projects in the UK.
Speaking in a lengthy press conference after being appointed as one of several figures on Man United’s ‘regeneration taskforce‘, which is being tasked with exploring all the options surrounding the next chapter for Old Trafford, the Manchester mayor insisted that the plans are much bigger than the club.
As per the BBC’s Simon Stone, Burnham said, “This could be the biggest regeneration scheme in the country” and that beyond being a shiny new football ground, it could bring “thousands of jobs” to the region in turn.
He also revealed that the club isn’t set to make a decision on whether to remain at a refurbished Theatre of Dreams or build a new construct a new Old Trafford until the middle/latter part of the year — one of the key decisions that the taskforce is helping United’s executives reach.
Having already insisted that Old Trafford’s regeneration — be it an updating and upgrading or a total rebuild — would mean “no other city in the world would be set up in terms of its football infrastructure to Manchester”, the Labour MP has insisted he is fully committed to playing his part in the project.
Named alongside the likes of club legend turned pundit and businessman, Gary Neville, Lord Sebastian Coe (former Chair of the organising committee for the 2012 Olympics) and the Chief Exec of Trafford Council, Sara Todd, he will be key in making sure the plans have both social and economic impact.
Burnham went on to tell BBC Sport: “We’ve seen what has happened on the east of Manchester, with the investment that has gone in. I’m looking at a balancing investment on the west of Manchester that will set this city up to be the capital of football around the world in the 21st century.”
Referencing Man City and how the development of the Etihad Campus has undoubtedly helped regenerate surrounding areas over the past decade or so, it’s clear that the 54-year-old sees this as a massive investment in the community as opposed to just a private venture — and has said as much too:
Andy Burnham insists whatever happens to Old Trafford, it should involve a mix of public investment and private funding.
While Burnham’s suggestion that Manchester United should seek public investment has come under plenty of fire, with many asking why their new billionaire co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe would turn to the taxpayer for help with funding, he insisted it should be a “public-private partnership”, not a handout.
As an Everton fan himself, he was quick to cite how the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has already helped the Toffees in supplying loans, grants and in covering other professional costs related to supporting works on their new stadium on Bramley Moore dock which is still in progress.
Circling back to United and Old Trafford, Burnham added: “People should just get away from the idea of public sector money, that is not the issue, it is much broader, with transport, employment and new investment into our city region. That is what is at stake here.”
The Mayor also appeared on a special episode of MUTV’s UTD Podcast, touching on how such a project would be massive for the North as a whole, transport and the ever-growing Bee Network, as well as how his new consulting brief fits into his wider role as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
The insights that people like Andy Burnham, Gary Neville and Lord Coe will no doubt factor into how Manchester United approach the plans and whether it be continuing Old Trafford’s legacy or starting from scratch, but several reports are now suggesting that Ratcliffe is leaning towards a new stadium.
The INEOS boss has already insisted that he wants Old Trafford to become the ‘Wembley of the North’ and feels the stadium plans would need government backing to achieve that goal.
People have long been envisaging what a new and improved Old Trafford could look like, be it upgrading the existing stadium or erecting entirely new ground, and it remains a big debate amongst the supporter base. What do you think, United fans: stay put and renovate or think up the next Theatre of Dreams?
Man City star Jack Grealish reveals the two players who inspired his loan move to Everton
Danny Jones
England international Jack Grealish has revealed the two ex-players that inspired him to join Everton FC on loan from Manchester City.
The fan favourite, who joined Man City as Britain’s first-ever £100 million player back in 2021, has struggled to find a regular spot in Pep Guardiola‘s starting XI since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, but has already won all there is to win at the English club level in his time there.
Now 29 years old – largely considered well within the prime years for a footballer, if not soon to be exiting it – the next few seasons are likely to prove crucial for the Birmingham-born star.
With that in mind, Grealish has now completed his loan transition from City to Everton and has revealed that, besides the history and passionate supporters, two former legends played a big part in influencing his decision to say yes.
"My two favourite English players ever are Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne and I know they both wore number 18 here."
Much like many footy fans from the past couple of generations, the Aston Villa product admitted that Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne are two of his favourite sportsmen of all time.
While the Man United legend went on to notch the biggest achievements of his career here in Manchester, he started out life and his professional career as a teenager in the blue half of Liverpool, coming through as one of the club’s most exciting prospects ever.
As explained above, the now-loaned-out attacking midfielder also revealed that picking the number 18 was a tap-in, not only because it was Rooney’s first shirt but also that of another fellow retired Toffee and English footballing icon in Gazza, who played 32 times for the club towards the end of his playing days.
There aren’t many clubs and/or shirts that could convince a modern-day Premier League star to swap the number 10 at Treble-winning ‘four-midables’, Man City; aside from the obvious increase in playing time, there seems to be some genuine heart and sentimentality behind the switch.
Whether or not it will prove to be the right next step for the talented dribbler and creative attacking talent, only time will tell.
Is it the right move for the England international? ⚖️#MCFC#Transfers
Not too long after being reinstated as Everton manager himself, David Moyes is also said to have played a significant role in convincing Grealish to make the move to Merseyside.
The fact that the Three Lions regular has serious “ambition” to get back in the squad for the upcoming World Cup, having been left “heartbroken” as he missed out on Euro 2024, made Moyes’ sales pitch a fairly straightforward one: ‘come be the main man and fight your way back into the selection’.
It’s said that the deal includes an option to buy for approximately £50m (half the price his parent club paid a then-record sum for him), and his new team are expected to pay a big chunk of his reported £300k-a-week wages – with overall outgoings potentially reaching more than £12m after the loan fee.
You can see Grealish’s first interview in the darker shade of blue down below.
Here’s what Grealish had to say on his loan move to Everton for the 2025/26 season.
Manchester’s famous 24-hour charity run for the homeless expands into three new cities
Danny Jones
Manchester city centre’s famous 24-hour charity run, which raises money for Britain’s homeless community every year, is growing once again in 2025, with the heartwarming event expanding into a trio of new regions.
The annual 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness may have started out life here in Manchester, but last November saw it branch out for the first time ever, launching the maiden edition of The Birmingham 24 Hour Run – an instant success, with the return 12 months later confirmed soon after.
We here at The Manc have been supporting the cause for a while now, with multiple members of the team having joined both the local and Brummy editions of the run.
Now set to branch out even further in just a few months’ time, The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is set to make its Yorkshire debut across two separate fundraising events this autumn, not to mention another event in the West Midlands this winter.
The 2024 Birmingham run saw almost £1,700 for relative homeless causes in the area, with all contributions considered: nothing short of an incredible tally for the inaugural event attended by far fewer numbers than its now well-established founding counterpart.
It was the first time that the Manc-born and bred charity run had ever ventured out of the city, proving that the format and not just nationwide, but a global crisis is what that can be supported all over.
With that in mind, this year, The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness will be hoping to positively impact rough sleeping numbers in Leeds for the very first time, as well as Sheffield, Hereford and, of course, Birmingham once again.
And yes, you can expect support from our friends over at The Hoot and The Sheff.
Backed by numerous local businesses, fellow non-profit organisations, run clubs, university groups, and plenty more from in and around the community, the annual fundraising relay run attracts thousands – and that’s just in Manchester.
The 24-Hour Run Against Homelessness was started by a bunch of uni students as a charitable arm of their running society, Run Wild MCR, and has since gone on to raise more than £50,000 for the ‘A Bed Every Night Scheme’.
An amazing achievement for a crucial cause we can all get behind.
Overseen by the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and the Labour MP himself, Andy Burnham (who is a regular attendee every year now), the event that starts at noon one day and finishes at the same time the next, has seen both regional and national news coverage.
Speaking on this year’s expansion, 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness co-founder Tom Lewis told us: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support over the years; the Manchester running community, local companies and so many other organisations have come together to make a real difference.”
“Everyone should get involved with the 2025 events as it brings communities together from across each city to help raise money to aid those in need.”
For anyone considering getting involved with this year’s charity run for the homeless around Manchester city centre, or indeed any of the other four cities hosting in 2025, you can find the dates for each and more information HERE.
You can also watch a helpful little explainer, featuring the voice of yours truly, down below:
Danny Jones -
12th March 2024 
