Gary Neville issues three ultimatums to Manchester United on Old Trafford regeneration project – Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person

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Gary Neville has revealed three ultimatums that Manchester United should not compromise on in their regeneration of Old Trafford and the surrounding area.

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his partial investment into United in February, the INEOS billionaire has repeatedly stated that he’s keen to oversee either the redevelopment of Old Trafford or the building of a brand-new stadium.

The future of the Theatre of Dreams has been the subject of a lot of speculation in the past few years, with many of the United supporters eager to see the stadium’s overall capacity increased.

It’s believed that Ratcliffe’s clear preference is to create a ‘Wembley of the North’ to rival the 90,000-seater national stadium in north London.

To this effect, Ratcliffe and INEOS set up the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force and installed himself as chair. Other members of the task force include Lord Coe, Gary Neville and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

Neville spoke to club media and said that whatever option is pursued – whether it’s the building of a brand-new facility or the redevelopment of United’s existing home – three main things should take precedence.

The 49-year-old said, “There are three things I feel that Manchester United have to do, or at least two they have to do and one they should try and do.”

“One is that we have to have the best stadium in the world. Two is that we have to have the best training ground in the world and three is that we have to win. The third one, actually, I’m a little patient on. I’m a Manchester United fan; things move in cycles. You can’t always win.”

“But if number one and two are right, and if you have the right people in the club, you’ve got a great chance of number three happening.”

One thing those in favour of redeveloping Old Trafford have always stated is that United’s iconic grounds are historical and fans have an emotional attachment to it.

However, according to Neville, Old Trafford has changed a lot over the years and this shouldn’t necessarily hold the club back from building a new world-class arena.

Neville remarked, “I’m not one of those that says that because I’ve watched football out there for 45 years that I need to watch the exact same players on that exact blade of grass. You know, if you think of the development, that is not the stadium that’s been there 110 years. You know, the Stretford End is not the Stretford End that I saw growing up. The stands all around the ground have been redeveloped in the last 30-40 years. ”

“I’m not one of those people that says we can’t develop behind while we still play here and then move into a new stadium. On the other hand, if the best solution is to refurbish the current stadium and do what Real Madrid and Barcelona have done, which is essentially wrap their stadium and sort of, if you like, fit it from the inside out, then if that is the best solution then I’m not against it.”

“We’ve always been proud of the stories of Sir Matt Busby redeveloping the stadium, having come back from America and seeing hospitality boxes in the 50s and 60s and around that time, and how the manager when we were here, Sir Alex Ferguson, moved the training ground from The Cliff to Carrington.”

He added, “It was difficult for us, wasn’t it? Because we didn’t want to leave The Cliff; we loved The Cliff. It was in our hearts. But we needed this world-class, modern facility that Sport Science could move forward in, with all the sort of advancements in technology and medical.”

The Sky Sports pundit opened up on his role within the task force and said that it’s the only way he feels he can serve the club.

He noted that at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be a place for him in any other department and he’s happy with the responsibilities given to him by Ratcliffe and the new ownership.

Neville expressed his delight with the fact that there is now movement regarding the future of Old Trafford after more than a decade of inaction under the Glazer regime.

He relayed that Tottenham Hotspur’s facility is the benchmark and that United should be looking to hit those levels or even surpass the North London outfit. Neville also called for patience as the club’s ambitious plans take shape.

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