Manchester United announce new stadium plans

Manchester United have announced they are going to build a brand new football stadium - the biggest in the UK.

It will be built next to Old Trafford, the ground where the club currently play.

The new stadium will be able to hold 100,000 fans and is expected to cost around £2 billion to construct.

The club's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he wanted to build the "world's greatest football stadium," which the club hopes could be ready in five years.

What have Manchester United announced?

Manchester United had been considering whether to re-develop their current stadium, but they have now confirmed that they will build an entirely new one.

Architects at Foster and Partners, who will design the project, said the new stadium would be covered by a huge "umbrella" and would also feature a new public plaza that is "twice the size" of London's Trafalgar Square.

The stadium will also feature three masts described as "the trident", which will be 200 metres (656ft) high and visible from 25 miles (40km) away.

United say the entire project could help create 92,000 new jobs and bring an extra 1.8 million visitors to the area every year.

There has been mixed reaction to the announcement.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham welcomed the plans, explaining that "Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world."

However, the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) says has lots of questions.

It wants to know how the club will pay for the ground but says the stadium news "could be very exciting".

In a statement, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United's co-owner said: "Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world's greatest stadium.

"Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years but it has fallen behind the arenas in world sport," Sir Jim added.

Old Trafford has been Manchester United's home since 1910.

The club would continue to play at Old Trafford until the new stadium was ready.

Once construction is complete, the club's existing home is likely to be demolished.