Manchester United will attempt to build a stunning, 100,000-capacity new Old Trafford under a vast ‘umbrella’ – complete with a public plaza twice the size of Trafalgar Square and their own version of Wembley Way in a breathtaking ‘city of the future’.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will today vow to deliver ‘the world’s greatest football stadium’ and Mail Sport can share the staggering plans drawn up by renowned British architect Lord Norman Foster, which include a cheeky nod to Manchester’s infamous climate.

Three giant towers, inspired by the Red Devils’ trident, dominate the skyline and effectively hold up the ‘umbrella’ – a sweeping glass and steel canopy above that will keep fans dry inside and outside what would be comfortably Britain’s biggest stadium.

A huge wraparound scoreboard also features, along with a three-storey museum and canal-side restaurants as part of a vast fan village in a project Ratcliffe says will ‘preserve the essence of Old Trafford… while transforming the fan experience only footsteps from our existing home’. 

Man United have also ambitiously proposed that the stadium, which would become the largest covered space in the world, will be completed within a timeframe of just five years.

Foster himself declares that the imposing venue will bring fans ‘closer than ever to the pitch’ and focus on bringing the noise: ‘acoustically cultivating a huge roar’.

Man United plan to build a stunning, 100,000-capacity new Old Trafford under a vast umbrella

The existing Old Trafford, which has been Man United’s home for 115 years, will be demolished

A series of spectacular drawings (above) show that the new Old Trafford would be pushed back from the site of Manchester United’s existing, iconic home of more than a century

A series of spectacular drawings show that the new Old Trafford would be pushed back from the site of United’s existing, iconic home of more than a century. Their own, tree-lined version of Wembley Way would stretch from beyond the current Holy Trinity statue to well inside the existing Old Trafford with land currently used for a car park and freight terminal behind the Stretford End coming in to play. 

On one side the bowl-shaped venue would straddle the canal, with a series of sheltered bridges allowing fans to cross into a cavernous arena. 

One of the towers, which stretches high above a new, two-tiered Stretford End aimed at cranking up the volume, features a not-for-the-faint-hearted viewing platform suspended in the air. Along both sides are three tiers with a host of corporate offerings.

A video narrated by Gary Neville accompanies the images. ‘Where workers once grafted a new landmark will arise,’ the former captain states. ‘A new theatre, for dreams to come alive.’ 

As the video sweeps inside the stadium Neville adds: ‘100,000 fans, united as one… a sea of red, the loudest crowd. A majestic arena, where history and future collide.’

‘Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years,’ said petrochemicals billionaire Ratcliffe, who has made the project a priority since taking a 29 per cent share in his boyhood club a year ago. 

‘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.’

United enlisted a report from economic experts who say the stadium – which would form the centrepiece of a vast regeneration project Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham today claims would be ‘bigger and better than London 2012’ – will deliver £7.3bn to the economy, could create 92,000 jobs and 17,000 new jobs while driving an additional 1.8m visitors per year to the area. 

Red Devils co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe vows to deliver ‘the world’s greatest football stadium’

Manchester United’s new £2bn stadium will become the largest covered space in the world

Architect Lord Norman Foster claims the stadium will bring fans ‘closer than ever to the pitch’

The seismic project has been Ratcliffe’s priority since taking over his minority share of the club

A three-storey museum and canal-side restaurants will be included within a vast fan village

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EXCLUSIVE

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Man United’s 100,000-seat £2bn ‘New Trafford’ plans which could start THIS YEAR

They will seek to fund the estimated £2bn needed for the stadium themselves while seeking government support for the wider infrastructure and regeneration project. 

‘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,’ Ratcliffe added. 

‘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 will now embark on further consultation to ensure that fans and residents continue to be heard as we move towards final decisions.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has also thrown his weight behind a decision which may upset some traditionalists who would have preferred United to refurbish. 

‘Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in,’ the club’s most successful manager said. 

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

Legendary Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has also thrown his weight behind a decision

The Red Devils’ own, tree-lined version of Wembley Way (pictured in concept above) would stretch from beyond the current Holy Trinity statue to well inside the existing Old Trafford

The design includes a sweeping glass and steel canopy above that will keep supporters dry 

United enlisted a report from experts who say the stadium will bring £7.3bn to the economy

Manchester United will seek to fund the estimated £2bn needed for the stadium themselves, while seeking government support for the wider infrastructure and regeneration project

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham claims his city’s vast regeneration project – of which United’s new stadium is a major part – will be ‘bigger and better than London 2012’

Lord Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners, added: ‘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. 

‘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.’

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.’

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. 

Foster has also claimed that the stadium is designed to ‘acoustically cultivate a huge roar’

Manchester United announced the news with a video narrated by former captain Gary Neville

At the start of the video, Neville calls the stadium ‘a new theatre, for dreams to come alive’ 

The stadium’s new public plaza is set to be twice the size of Trafalgar Square in London

‘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.’