Manchester United are still keen to build a NEW Old Trafford as final decision on their stadium is delayed until next summer while INEOS seek government support for regeneration project

Manchester United remain keen to build a new stadium, despite a final decision on what next for Old Trafford being delayed until next summer.

A task force set up by the club, which includes former captain Gary Neville, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and London 2012 supremo Lord Coe, had been due to deliver a recommendation by the end of next month.

However, a final decision on whether to upgrade the club’s historic home – or construct a state-of-the-art, 100,000-capacity ‘Wembley of the North’ – will not be forthcoming until well into next year.

Mail Sport understands that the preference among Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team, which is overseeing the project, continues to be a vast redevelopment of huge swathes of land around the stadium, with a new home at its centrepiece. However, while the club would fund the ground itself, they would be reliant upon government support for the wider regeneration.

Key to whether they can head down that route would be the acquisition of additional land and the removal of a freight terminal behind the Stretford End.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team prefer to redevelopment of land around Old Trafford

Man United chiefs want clarity over possible government support for the regeneration project

United have been urged by the task force to be as ‘bold and brave as possible’, a nod towards what could be the biggest regeneration project the country has seen.

Before making a final decision, officials want clarity on what the Budget means in terms of investment for the region. Public money for transport and infrastructure costs would ease the burden significantly.

A relocation of the freight terminal, which would free up passenger routes on the congested West Coast mainline, is one of the issues which needs to be resolved.

Should that happen – with a site in St Helens identified – it would ‘unlock the full potential’ of the proposals.

Burnham has already asked central government for cash to facilitate such a move which he believes would ease the pain for commuters while allowing United crucial extra space.

There are options to build a new stadium should that not happen, but a relocation for the freight terminal is preferential. Clear answers are not anticipated until next Spring. United would then need time to digest the outcome, before reaching their own conclusions.

As Mail Sport revealed, a wide-scale redevelopment could be worth £7.3bn annually to the UK economy, creating 92,000 new jobs and 17,000 homes in the process.

An Oxford Economics report added that 1.8m visitors could be attracted each year.