Even on a freezing, rainy day with no match scheduled, the area surrounding Old Trafford in  is abuzz with football fans from far and wide.

Just a day since  revealed their plans for the new 100,000-capacity stadium in Old Trafford, there is a sense of excitement at the new proposals: the plans promise 92,000 jobs and a large-scale “regeneration” of the area, including 17,000 new homes.



‘Something needed to be done,’ says Bobby Tabrizi, the owner of the United Cafe near Old Trafford. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian





An illustration of the planned new stadium by architects Foster + Partners. Photograph: Foster + Partners/AP

Illustrations of the proposed stadium and surrounding area show luxury flats surrounding what has been described as the “Wembley of the north” but also as .

The new stadium would be built next to the old one, which was originally considered for redevelopment, and would be the largest stadium in the UK, overtaking Wembley in terms of capacity.

Bobby Tabrizi, 65, is one of the owners of the United Cafe stand a few feet from the stadium. He says: “Ninety-nine per cent of our business is on match days. It’s good news, exciting news. Something needed to be done and it’s better to build a new stadium rather than spending money on Old Trafford as it is now.”

Aguilera agrees. Looking at the stadium from her garden, she says it is an eyesore: “It’s not nice at the moment, it looks like a factory from the 80s.” Plus, she adds, the ventilation system is old, and fills the street with a constant hum.

Old Trafford has been the home of Manchester United for the past 115 years, and the cost of the project announced on Tuesday has been estimated at £2bn. The football club said they aim to finish building within five years, with the architects Foster + Partners hoping to begin work this year.



Manchester United fans protest against the club’s owners before the match against Arsenal last Sunday. Photograph: Matt West/Rex/Shutterstock

While many have welcomed the news as a boost for investment to Manchester, it is still uncertain where the funding will come from.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of , was originally keen to share his excitement on the project, saying: “If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012.”

But he has gone on to reiterate that the club’s new home would receive zero public funding.

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Tony Ronan, 77, says the last time he went to a game at Old Trafford was when he was a young lad. He is concerned the cost of the new stadium will fall at the feet of United fans.

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