Manchester United ask Gary Neville to help regenerate Old Trafford

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is pushing ahead with plans to upgrade Old Trafford after years of neglect

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has approached Gary Neville to assist with revamping Old Trafford (Getty Images/The Independent)

Manchester United have asked Gary Neville to help regenerate Old Trafford.

Neville has been invited by the club to join a newly devised committee which will make plans and key decisions on how the tired stadium is improved, as well as how the surrounding area is developed, according to The Times. Neville is open to the idea of participating so long as his role does not create a conflict of interest with his work as an analyst for Sky Sports.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of a quarter of Manchester United was confirmed on Tuesday evening, and the petrochemicals billionaire is determined to make a quick impact on all aspects of the club, on and off the pitch.

Neville has been a staunch critic of the Glazer family, who have allowed Old Trafford to degrade over the past decade and have failed to invest in the land around the ground which the club also own. But the Glazers are taking a step back and Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group are now leading much of the operational aspects of United.

Ratcliffe is considering whether to renovate the existing stadium, as Liverpool have done to Anfield in stages over the past few years, or, at considerably more cost, whether to build a new state-of-the-art stadium beside Old Trafford, as Tottenham Hotspur have done at White Hart Lane.

Across town, Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners have invested hundreds of millions into regenerating the area immediately surrounding the Etihad Stadium, and there is scope for something similar around Old Trafford on land which is largely unused.

Neville is already invested in the area, with co-ownership of Hotel Football and University Academy 92 nearby.