MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson hopes to live long enough to witness the opening of Manchester United’s new stadium which will replace Old Trafford.
The 84-year-old legend admitted that he wondered if he would ever see the 100,000-capacity stadium open.
“I wonder if I’ll still be around to celebrate the opening.”
“I hope construction can begin soon because if it takes five years, I will be approaching 90 years old.
“However, I knew I would be at the event in some way, whether physically or as a memory,” he said in the book Games of My Life.
United had previously targeted a move to a new stadium in 2030, but that date has been cancelled and the club has not set a new date.
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe proposed a new 100,000-seater stadium in 2024, with the design unveiled by Foster+Partners in March 2025.
United also bought land near Old Trafford for £63.5 million for the project.
Ferguson, who was appointed United manager in 1986 before retiring in 2013, won 13 Premier League titles and managed 724 matches at Old Trafford.
In honour of his services, the North Stand of Old Trafford was named the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in 2011, before his statue was erected outside the stadium a year later.