Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has warned that the club’s ambitious 2 billion pound ($2.58 billion) plan for a new stadium could limit squad spending, potentially affecting the team’s competitiveness for the next five years.
United, currently in 14th place in the Premier League after finishing eighth last season, faces a critical balancing act between infrastructure upgrades and on-field success.
“That is a risk. Clearly it’s something we want to avoid,” Berrada told reporters Tuesday at the unveiling of conceptual images for the new stadium.
“We don’t want to inhibit our ability to invest in the team, to continue being competitive while we are building a new stadium,” he said.
Berrada said the club would strive to remain competitive during construction of the 100,000-seat stadium, which will be Britain’s largest and built next to the existing Old Trafford.
“There are various ways around that; one of the things we’re looking at is shortening the construction timeline so we can have a new stadium within five years. That’s our ambition,” he said.
