Gary Neville is set to be part of Manchester United’s plans to regenerate Old Trafford.
The former United defender, who co-owns Hotel Football and University Academy 92 which are both part of the wider area that surround the stadium, will sit on a newly-appointed committee that will oversee the various options.
News of the move, which was reported first by The Times, comes less than 24 hours after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority stake in the club was finally confirmed.
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As part of the deal, Ratcliffe will also invest a further $300million (£238m) with the money intended to be put towards the redevelopment of Old Trafford.
There is also the possibility of outside investment as well as government funding to assist with plans.
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The British billionaire is thought to view the decision over the stadium — whether to redevelop the club’s existing home or build a new one — as one of his major priorities with the recruitment of Neville one of his first key moves.
Plans drawn up in 2022 included options for both, with the cost of the latter estimated at somewhere between £1.2bn and £1.6bn.
Renovating the existing site would be cheaper but it would also involve temporarily reducing Old Trafford’s capacity and losing matchday revenue, which, at £136m last season (around 21 per cent of their total income), is comfortably the highest in the Premier League.
Ratcliffe hinted at his plans in meetings with supporters held in Manchester last month, when he shared his vision of the site becoming a club campus and community hub by making greater use of its surrounding land.
Neville, who spent his entire playing career at United before retiring in 2011, has often used his platform as one of Sky Sports’ leading television pundits to criticise the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.
After a long period of unrest and supporter protests they announced plans to identify “strategic alternatives” that could lead to a potential sale of the club in November 2022.
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(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
