This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today.

It starts with the most famous football club in the world, with a billion followers globally.

So it starts with the fans and it starts with the idea of making something which is so intense, it brings you close to the pitch.

Acoustically, it cultivates the roar as you move away from the stadium.

It’s not a fortress surrounded by a sea of cars. It’s open and it’s contained by an umbrella that harvests solar energy, harvesting rainwater.

But it’s protective, and it encloses arguably the largest public space in the world.

It’s welcoming, it’s open. It’s at the very heart of a new neighbourhood. And then it’s part of the city of Manchester, the fastest-growing city in the United Kingdom, a city, again, like no other.

It’s a powerhouse steeped in history.

Trafford Park was the industrial heartland of the nation, a heritage which I have a personal connection to.

My father was a factory worker at Metropolitan-Vickers and then the three masts, the Trident, visible from 40 kilometres, 200 metres high.

So this becomes a global destination.

Normally, a stadium would take 10 years to build. We half that time. Five years.

How do we do that?

By prefabrication. By using the network of Manchester Ship Canal. Bringing it back to a new life. Shipping in components, 160 of them, Meccano-like.

And then we rebuild the Old Trafford station and that becomes the pivot, the processional way to the stadium, welcoming and at the heart of a new sports-led neighbourhood. It’s walkable.

It’s well served by public transport. It’s endowed by nature. It learns from the past. It creates streets. It’s a mixed-use mini-city.

So what makes a global destination? What makes something so special? It’s teamwork. It’s the best brains. The civic leaders, the owners, the consultants, the engineers, the architects, the fans.

The list is so long. It’s a team effort that is at the heart of the success of this project.

Lord Norman Foster is a world-renowned English architect and designer, who founded the Foster + Partners architecture firm.

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Manchester United has thrown its support behind the Government’s growth agenda by announcing its intention to pursue a new 100,000-seater stadium as the centrepiece of the regeneration of the Old Trafford area.

The stadium, and wider regeneration project, have the potential to deliver an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy which brings large-scale social and economic benefits to the community and wider region, including the possible creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes as well as driving an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.
 
Conceptual images and scaled models of what the new stadium and surrounding area could look like were unveiled on Tuesday by Foster + Partners, the architecture group appointed to design the stadium district. These will provide a masterplan for more detailed feasibility, consultation, design and planning work as the project enters a new phase.

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, said: “Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford.   
 
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience, only footsteps from our historic home. 
 
“Just as important is the opportunity for a new stadium to be the catalyst for social and economic renewal of the Old Trafford area, creating jobs and investment, not just during the construction phase, but on a lasting basis when the stadium district is complete. The Government has identified infrastructure investment as a strategic priority, particularly in the north of England, and we are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance.”

Omar Berrada, chief executive of Manchester United, said: “Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium. We are grateful for the feasibility work done by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force exploring options for the future of Old Trafford.

“We have carefully considered its findings, together with the views of thousands of fans and local residents and concluded that a new stadium is the right way forward for Manchester United and our surrounding community. We will now embark on further consultation to ensure that fans and residents continue to be heard as we move towards final decisions.”

Visuals courtesy of Foster + Partners

Sir Jim Ratcliffe says

“By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience, only footsteps from our historic home.”

“The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square. The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district, which is completely walkable, served by public transport, and endowed by nature. It is a mixed-use miniature city of the future – driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination that Mancunians can be proud of.” 

Visuals courtesy of Foster + Partners

Omar Berrada says

“Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium.”

Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, said: “Today marks an important step forward in what I firmly believe can be the biggest and most exciting urban regeneration project in the UK since the 2012 London Olympics. I am proud to have helped lay the groundwork as chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force over the past year and would like to thank my fellow members for their contributions.

“Our exploratory work is now complete, and we will hand over responsibility to Manchester United for delivery of the stadium, and the Mayoral Development Corporation to drive forward the wider regeneration.” 

Visuals courtesy of Foster + Partners

Sir Norman Foster says

“This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today, with incredible regional and national significance. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.”

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Our common goal on the Task Force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs. 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.

“To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the north west and the country will be huge.”

Visuals courtesy of Foster + Partners.

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Inside United made the most of some time with Bruno Fernandes at Carrington to go over his current standing on the all-time appearance list at the club.

Our super skipper has been motoring up the chart by racking up the games since signing from Sporting in 2020, and he celebrated his 275th competitive outing in the Reds shirt with a stunning free-kick goal in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday.

Moving one ahead of 1980s favourite Norman Whiteside, he is level with Henry Cockburn and Andy Cole and looks poised to go joint-72nd with Johnny Berry, by playing in Thursday’s Europa League round-of-16 second leg against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford.

Initially perusing our giant printout of the list, Bruno told the official magazine (on sale now) that Juan Mata quickly stood out for him.

The two were pals during their time together at Old Trafford, with Bruno taking over the Spaniard’s no.8 shirt, when he departed for Galatasaray in 2022.

“All of them,” he responded, when asked who was in his sights. “But, obviously, I was just talking about Juan. He will be a good one to overtake, just because of the relationship we have. How good it would be to be ahead of him on something!”

Mata is sat in 67th place, after playing 285 times for the Reds.

While reaching the summit is an impossible task, with Ryan Giggs amassing an incredible 963 matches for his boyhood side, one of the legendary winger’s former team-mates is somebody who Fernandes is hoping to reel in at some point. 

“No, Giggsy, I think will be there for many, many years!” agreed our reigning Player of the Month. “Even the other ones, I think it’s a tough one but, obviously, there are many of them. I would probably say I’m going to that [Nemanja] Vidic one, with 300 games, it would be very special.

“Obviously, I think 300 games, for any club, it’s very, very special and then, obviously, I want to do as many as I can. Obviously, I’m trying to be always available for the team and to try to help and, I think, do as much as I can to help the club and to play more and more. I will try my best to do it.”

If you narrow the criteria down to non-UK and Irish players, then Bruno is just outside the top 10. That goal would be achieved by moving past Mata and, of course, Serbian hardman Vidic, like Fernandes a former captain of the club, is also on this particular list.

“Juan, I will go for you,” promised our Portuguese magnifico. “I’ll go for you first, for in the list being in the top 10 of the club for foreign players. But it’s always special.

“Every game, every appearance, it’s something special. All of these ones I have done until now. All of them have some special feelings, obviously some good results, some bad results. Some others that we wanted to do differently but it’s always a pleasure to represent the club.”

Read the interview in full, across 12 pages, in the latest edition of Inside United, the official club magazine.

ALL-TIME UNITED APPEARANCES

1. Ryan Giggs – 963.
2. Sir Bobby Charlton – 758.
3. Paul Scholes – 718.
4. Bill Foulkes – 688.
5. Gary Neville – 602.

70. Roger Byrne – 280.
71. Luke Shaw – 278.
72. Johnny Berry – 276.
73. Henry Cockburn – 275.
73. Andy Cole – 275.
73. Bruno Fernandes – 275.

TOP NON-UK & IRE APPEARANCE-MAKERS

1. David De Gea – 545
2. Peter Schmeichel – 398
3. Patrice Evra – 379
4. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 366
5. Mikael Silvestre – 361
6. Cristiano Ronaldo – 346
7. Antonio Valencia – 339
8. Anthony Martial – 317
9. Nemamja Vidic – 300
10. Juan Mata – 285.
11. Bruno Fernandes – 275.

All records correct as of 10/3/2025.

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