Man Utd confirm where they will play home matches while new stadium is being built

Manchester United are set to demolish Old Trafford and replace it with a £2billion ‘Wembley of the North’, according to reports.

The Red Devils’ iconic stadium has been their home since 1910, hosting some of the club’s greatest-ever moments.

But co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to consign it to history by flattening the famous ground and building a new one next door.

However, United have now confirmed that they will continue to play at Old Trafford while their new stadium is being built.

The petrochemicals billionaire, who bought a 27.7 per cent stake in the club last year, has grand plans to bring United back to the pinnacle of English and European football.

And he believes a new 100,000-seater stadium is the way forward rather than redeveloping Old Trafford, which currently holds 74,310 fans.

That is despite an extensive consultation process over whether to upgrade the existing stadium or start from scratch.

Ratcliffe has previously claimed he wants to build the “world’s greatest football stadium” - and he appears to be putting that bold promise into action.

The Daily Telegraph report that United have settled on knocking down Old Trafford once the new arena is built on adjacent club-owned land.

They hope it will be ready by 2030, with the project expected to take five years to complete.

Senior club sources have suggested it would not be cost-effective to repurpose Old Trafford for the club’s women’s or academy teams.

That is because reducing the capacity to a suitable size would still be too expensive, with Ratcliffe instead preferring to start afresh.

The new stadium has been dubbed the ‘Wembley of the North’ - a nod to the 90,000-seater national stadium which is the biggest in the UK.

United’s new home would eclipse that and become the largest club stadium in the country.

Ratcliffe has enlisted world-renowned architects Foster + Partners to design the ground after they impressed with their work on Wembley and Qatar’s Lusail Stadium.

Conceptual images released by the firm show a sleek arena featuring a huge umbrella-style roof and three masts dubbed ‘The Trident’.

A plaza twice the size of London’s Trafalgar Square also forms part of the plans, which club bosses hope will transform the area into a destination for fans all-year round.

United say the project could create 92,000 jobs and generate £7.3billion for the local economy, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham among those welcoming the plans.

He said: “If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012.

“Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world.”

The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, chaired by Lord Coe, has branded it “the most exciting urban regeneration project in the UK since the 2012 London Olympics”.

Legendary ex-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has also backed the plans despite his affection for Old Trafford.

He said: “Old Trafford holds so many memories for me personally but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where history can be made.”

Fans have been left with mixed emotions over the proposals, with some excited by the new dawn it promises while others are sad to see the back of an iconic stadium.

The club have vowed to continue playing at Old Trafford until the new stadium is ready so as not to disrupt supporters.

Criticism of the current ground has grown in recent years due to a leaking roof and a lack of significant development since 2006."