The mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham admitted that some taxpayer money could be spent to accommodate Old Trafford refurbishment plans.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived at Manchester United last season alongside his INEOS group, taking over football operations at the club.
And one of their grand plans has been to develop their home stadium, which has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years.
It has yet to be decided whether a £2billion new home will be built, which would seat 100,000, or to redevelop the existing ground.
Andy Burnham has called on the government for funds
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But a freight rail terminal behind Old Trafford has proved a problem and would need to be moved to free up space for any possible expansion.
This could cost hundreds of millions and Mr Burnham has admitted that taxpayer cash could be used to move it.
He called on the government to fund plans that would see the Parkside freight terminal, still under construction, connected from the St Helens-Wigan border to the West Coast Main Line.
“What you have here is the huge potential to fix the rail system of the north west of England,” he said at the Labour conference in Liverpool.
He added that taking the freight terminal out of Manchester’s city centre “fixes things for passengers”.
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“They won’t have to have the freight disruption.
“What that then does is free up the space around Old Trafford so the club is able to have all of its options looked at and has the biggest possible footprint to use so it can bring forward the most ambitious regeneration.
“We hope it’s the best football stadium in the world, which brings benefits to residents around it.”
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has big plans for Old Trafford
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United legend Gary Neville was also present alongside Mr Burnham at the Labour conference.
The former England international is part of the task force hired by the Red Devils to evaluate the club’s best options for the stadium.
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However, Neville insisted he is ‘not bothered’ if the decision is made to either refurbish Old Trafford or build a new stadium.
“The most important thing is Manchester United end up with a world class stadium,” he said.
“I’m more interested in the overall masterplan in the surrounding area. We have seen what happens when you put football at the heart of that regeneration.”