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SIR JIM RATCLIFFE SNUBBED WHILE UNITED PLANS MONUMENTAL STADIUM UPGRADE

Mayor Andy Burnham reaffirms no public money will fund Man Utd's new £2bn New Trafford stadium. A development corporation will oversee wider area regeneration, aiming for the 2035 Women's World Cup final.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Snubbed While United Plans Monumental Stadium Upgrade
Jim Ratcliffe Denied Funding Request - Photo Credit: PA Wire

The pledge that "not a penny of public money" will be used to construct Manchester United's new stadium, New Trafford, has been reaffirmed by Andy Burnham.

At a lavish London presentation in March, United unveiled its ambitious plan for a state-of-the-art stadium with 100,000 seats to replace Old Trafford. The club's controversial co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliff, hinted that the massive project would be completed by 2030. The billionaire tax exile even proposed that taxpayers contribute to the £2 billion plan's funding.

Ratcliffe argued: "People in the north pay their tax, and there is an argument you could think about a more ambitious project in the north which would be fitting for England, for the Champions League final or the FA Cup final." Ratcliffe has been responsible for several of the ruthless cuts at United since the chairman of INEOS chemicals took over in February 2024.

On The Added Time Podcast, the mayor of Greater Manchester has remained steadfast in his position that no public funds would be allocated for the stadium itself.

However, according to the Manchester Evening News, a Mayoral Development Corporation has recently been established for the larger ground-level revitalisation project, which is expected to yield significant financial benefits.

"We have a fairly clear premise here at the beginning of this journey with the Mayoral Development Corporation, so it is not about handing them money," Burnham stated. The stadium will be funded by Manchester United. None of the public funds will be used for that.

But given the financial advantages that come with it, we undoubtedly have a part to play in making the stadium as good as it can be. If you consider it, the train station behind the stand has been abandoned for safety reasons for a number of years.

The public would greatly benefit from this since part of it would see that station moved somewhat, perhaps closer to Lou Macari's Chippy or somewhere nearby. Once it reopens, it would greatly benefit the local villages of Gorst Hill, Stretford, and the residents.

"It is considerably wider than the ground itself, with thousands of new dwellings and thousands of new employment."

According to the Manchester Evening News, United and the city area are collaborating in an effort to secure key FIFA Women's World Cup events for the arena in 2035, including the championship match.

"I am so involved that we have just asked parliament to form a Mayoral Development Corporation," Burnham said, endorsing the goal of holding the 2035 World Cup final in Manchester. Thus, it is a vehicle, a legal entity, that will be in charge of the area's overall regeneration.

"I am more accountable for the surroundings of any new stadium. As a city and a region, we have a tremendous opportunity. The neighbourhood surrounding the former Salford docks comes to mind when you think about that location.

On the opposite side of you is Media City. If we get it right, this place might become a global destination. There are freight terminals behind the current Old Trafford that send many trains into Manchester city centre, but I know that people here find it difficult to understand how that affects living on this end of the M62 [Liverpool].

"It produces congestion in Manchester, which is a big factor in the havoc on the northern railways. As a result, every train travelling across the nation frequently arrives in Liverpool late.

"There are a lot of reasons why this initiative makes sense. In fact, it would cause growth here [Liverpool] by moving the freight tunnels to St Helens.

It is a significant development initiative for the entire Northwest. And if we really get things going, I believe there is a good chance we will be hosting the FIFA World Cup for women in 2035. That is an exciting idea.

"Consider a final at the recently constructed Old Trafford. Indeed, it would be a remarkable event.

While negotiations to secure important land pieces continue, the new stadium's layout has been placed on hold. The railway depot surrounding Old Trafford is owned by Freightliner, and this area is essential to achieving the ambitious goals.

United is still optimistic that it can find a deal to acquire the land required for its groundbreaking stadium project.

WHY NO FINE? DISCOVER WHY THE GREEK COURT SCRAPPED MAGUIRE'S FINANCIAL PENALTY THIS WEEK

Harry Maguire’s retrial is over! Read about the 15-month suspended sentence, the Supreme Court appeal, and the Mykonos backstory.

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Harry Maguire guilty of assault in Greece; sentence reduced to 15 months

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been found guilty of non-serious assault in Greece and given a 15-month suspended jail sentence, down from the original 21 months after a retrial. This all goes back to 2020, when police arrested him while he was on holiday in Mykonos with family and friends.

The legal process dragged on for years. Maguire’s retrial finally happened on Wednesday, after four delays. He’s still fighting accusations of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and attempted bribery from that night. Greek law meant his conviction got quashed automatically on appeal, so that’s why there was a retrial. Maguire skipped the hearing; he was busy preparing for United’s game against Newcastle. On top of the shorter sentence, he doesn’t have to pay a fine anymore.

All this started in the summer break between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, just a year after Maguire joined United for a then-record £80 million. He was the club captain and a regular for England.

Right after his arrest, Maguire told the BBC how he thought he was getting kidnapped. He said plain-clothes police pulled over his group’s minibus, yanked him off, hit him on the legs, and shouted that his career was finished. “They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life,” he said. Maguire tried to run off with one handcuff still on, not knowing who these men were. He also said, “I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something you do when you have done something wrong. I don’t wish it on anybody. Obviously, the situation has made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong. I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody, anywhere.”

That first trial in 2020 caught him off guard. “It was horrible. It was such a quick turnaround; it was incredible. We got the pages for the transcript for the court the evening before. A big document, all in Greek. I hardly had any chance to speak to my lawyer. We were confident the case would be adjourned to give us more time to prepare and get the witnesses and the evidence that we have. For it all happened so quickly... we obviously didn’t expect the trial to go ahead,” he said.

Now, just ahead of his 33rd birthday, Maguire still refuses to settle the case with money. He wants to clear his name in court. He plans to appeal to the Supreme Court if he wins and the judgment gets thrown out.

CONTRACTUAL LIFELINE: UNEARTHING THE STRATEGY BEHIND ANDRE ONANA’S RETURN FROM TURKISH LOAN SPELL

Onana vs Lammens: Get the latest on the £44M keeper’s return from Turkey and why Michael Carrick values "reliability over chaos."

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Michael Carrick Praises "Reliable" Senne Lammens As Onana Loan Nears End

Andre Onana isn’t giving up on his Manchester United career, even with his replacement grabbing the spotlight while he’s away on loan. Right now, Onana’s spending the 2025/26 season with Trabzonspor in Turkey, while Senne Lammens has stepped up as United’s new first-choice keeper.

United signed Lammens from Royal Antwerp for £18 million on deadline day last September, and soon after, Onana was shipped out on loan. There’s no option for Trabzonspor to buy him, so Onana will be back at United this summer. He’s already played 72 games for the club.

Onana has turned out 20 times for Trabzonspor, but honestly, United probably aren’t paying much attention. Lammens has looked rock-solid in goal, holding down the spot for 21 straight matches, no matter if Amorim, Darren Fletcher, or Michael Carrick was in charge.

So far, Lammens has five clean sheets and is anchoring a defence that’s clearly improving under Carrick. Altay Bayindir is backing him up, and Tom Heaton is still kicking around in the goalkeeping group.

When United first bought Onana for £44 million from Inter Milan, he was reuniting with Erik ten Hag, his old Ajax boss. He’s still got two years left on his contract. According to Geremi Onana’s friend and a former Cameroon and Chelsea player, Onana hasn’t lost hope of turning things around.

“Listen, I know Andre very well, and there were a lot of issues at United during his time there,” Geremi told Telecom Asia. “It wasn’t all on him. But with Michael Carrick coming in, things are looking up for everyone, including Andre.

“He’s got real talent, and players like him don’t come around often. The next step is for him to go back and fight for his spot. Andre always rises to a challenge. Give him a fair shot, and he’ll show you what he can do.”

We’ll find out what’s next for Onana this summer. United are planning big changes, including a new permanent manager. Carrick is one of the names in the running.

If Carrick gets the job, Onana’s chances might take a hit, since the interim boss is thrilled with Lammens. After Lammens’ man-of-the-match showing in the 1-0 win over Everton, Carrick said, “For me, a keeper needs to be reliable, someone who calms things down, not adds to the chaos. Senne does exactly that.

“He’s quiet and maybe a bit unassuming, but he’s got real steel in him. Stepping in as United’s keeper is a big ask, and not everyone handles it. Sometimes it takes a while to settle, sometimes not. The way he’s handled it so far, he’s calm and composed, and that’s made a huge difference for the defence.”

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