Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes Manchester United have the ‘opportunity’ to build a ‘state of the art’ stadium that could house up to 100,000 supporters.. Ratcliffe, who is the chairman of petrochemical giant Ineos, completed a deal to secure a minority stake in United last month, bagging 27.7 per cent of the club’s shares. The boyhood United supporter now has grand ambitions to transform the club’s fortunes, both on and off the pitch.. Earlier this month, Ratcliffe enlisted Lord Sebastian Coe and Gary Neville to join a task force to explore options for regenerating Old Trafford. The United co-owner has made no secret of the fact he would prefer to bulldoze Old Trafford and build a brand-new stadium on the existing site.. READ MORE: The answer to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Wembley of the north plan might not please him. READ MORE: United fans send Sir Jim Ratcliffe clear message over ‘Wembley of the north’ plan. Ratcliffe envisions building a stadium that is capable of hosting the FA Cup final and England fixtures. He is adamant United need a stadium that reflects their brand and stature.. “It needs to have a stadium that’s befitting the club and the brand,” Ratcliffe told the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. “That might have been the case 20 years ago, but it isn’t today.. “I mean we can refurbish the ground and we’ll do a really nice job of that, it will be a fantastic stadium. And that would cost about a billion [pounds] to do that and the club can shoulder that burden.. “But you have got this opportunity if you choose to, to build a completely new ground because we have got enough space to build a completely new ground. If you built a completely new ground it would absolutely be state of the art, world-class, 90,000 or maybe even 100,000 (capacity).. “That then provides a platform for some of the big competitions in the north of England. Football is just as important in the north as it is in the south, arguably more so. The people in the north pay the taxes.. “So why do we have Wembley in the south? Why do we have Twickenham in the south? Why do we have Wimbledon in the south? Why do we have the Olympic Village in the south? Why do we have the O2 concert arena in the south?. “And what have we got in the north? What’s all this sort of levelling up stuff and you know, the Great Northern Powerhouse – great words, but what’s actually been done?”. United fans last week sent Ratcliffe a message about the need for a ‘Wembley of the north’ style stadium, and the use of public funds to help build it, which the billionaire has previously suggested he would look into.. Results from a MEN poll were somewhat divided. 54 per cent of the belief that the north of England should have a stadium of the size and, as Ratcliffe put it, the “scale” of Wembley. You can still take part in the poll below.. Do United need a new stadium with a 100,000 capacity? Have your say in the comments below
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