Manchester United's plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium have been met with skepticism by football finance expert Stefan Borson, who believes the £2 billion project could prove "very difficult" to fund.
The Red Devils recently unveiled their ambitious proposal to leave Old Trafford and move into a larger, state-of-the-art arena, which has been dubbed the 'Wembley of the North'. The plans also include the regeneration of the surrounding area.
However, Borson has raised concerns about the economic viability of such a large stadium, pointing out that there are "almost no stadia in the world with 100,000 seats" and that there is usually a limit to the number of seats due to financial constraints.
Despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe receiving government backing for the project, it remains unclear how much funding they will provide. Manchester United hope the redevelopment of the Trafford Park area could boost the UK economy by up to £7.3 billion, but Borson is skeptical about the feasibility of the plans.
Borson explained that Ratcliffe and Ineos are "not magicians" and that the project would need to make financial sense in order to be viable. He questioned whether the club could attract an additional 25,000 tourists every week to generate the billions of pounds of extra revenue needed to fund the stadium.
The initial plans would also involve halving the construction process to five years, but this would mean the Red Devils moving away from Old Trafford after over 115 years. The club have played at the 74,197-capacity ground since it was opened in 1910, with the most recent redevelopment taking place 19 years ago.
