Manchester United: Mayor Andy Burnham on what will make MCR ‘world’s biggest football city’

Manchester United’s plans for a new Old Trafford will make Manchester the “best football city in the world”, mayor Andy Burnham believes.

It was announced this week that a taskforce, which includes Burnham, will explore options for the future of United’s famous home.

United are understood to favour a completely new stadium, with renovations of the current Old Trafford thought to be both expensive and problematic.

It has been reported that United hope to regenerate the surrounding area, replicating the changes to Manchester’s east side since rivals City moved into the Etihad Stadium in 2003.

“You could make an argument that this is the biggest city in world football [now] because of the two clubs we have got within it,” Burnham told BBC Sport.

“If the ambitious vision comes through, either refurbished or new build, there would be no doubt about that.”

The taskforce is expected to announce its recommendations in the second half of the year, but Burnham thinks either a new stadium or redevelopment of the current Old Trafford would do wonders for the city.

“If on the west of Greater Manchester you have United at the heart of a new campus of facilities that links to Media City and the east of the city you have Manchester City, who continue to build out from the Etihad with a new massive indoor arena going in there, just think about that,” he said.

“No other city in the world would be set up in terms of its football infrastructure to Manchester. No-one would come close. This is why I will give this taskforce everything we’ve got to help because the benefits to our city-region are massive if we unlock them. It’s not for show.”

An interior view of Old Trafford during Manchester United’s Premier League game against Everton in March 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)On possible funding for a new project, he said: “It is way too early [to discuss funding], we are not even there.”

And he added: “What we are talking about is a complex regeneration scheme that could be the biggest in the north of England in our lifetime, and why as mayor of Greater Manchester would I not want that?

“If I’m honest the more ambitious the club is the better it is for us, because then the benefits will come out to our residents for decades to come.”

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