Manchester United - More interested in a new stadium than a competitive team

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Manchester United's plans for a new stadium are "pathetic" while the team struggles in the Premier League, according to Paul Merson. Manchester United are currently in 14th place and have only won 32 percent of their league matches this season.

Paul Merson believes that Manchester United's plans for a new stadium with a capacity for 100,000 spectators are "pathetic" when the team instead "needs new players".

According to the Sky Sports expert, Manchester United is more interested in building a state-of-the-art stadium than in creating a competitive team that can challenge for titles. The reactions come after the club announced their plans this week to leave Old Trafford for a new mega-stadium. Merson was not sparing in his criticism:

"I don't care at all, I think it's pathetic. If I were a Man Utd supporter, I would be furious."

United's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said that the goal is to create an "iconic football stadium", but Merson believes that the club should instead prioritize the squad. Right now, the team is closer to the bottom-placed Southampton in the table than to the leading Liverpool.

"They need players – not a new stadium"

Merson questions why Manchester United, which already has one of the largest stadiums in the Premier League, would need a new one.

"Old Trafford is already a huge stadium. I could understand if it were Chelsea, they need a bigger stadium to compete. But when it comes to Manchester United – why would they need a new one? They need new players, they need a team. I can't understand this decision."

He continues:

"Sir Jim Ratcliffe talks about England being able to play here. Forget the national team, focus on Manchester United and make sure they get back to the top six. I'm shocked at what I'm seeing."

The club in financial crisis

Manchester United, which has debts of over a billion pounds, has yet to confirm how the stadium construction will be financed. Ratcliffe said earlier this week that the club would have run out of money before Christmas if he hadn't made cost savings.

Merson believes the club's priorities are completely wrong:

"Old Trafford already seats 70,000 spectators. They don't need a new stadium – they just need to fix the holes in the roof where the rain seeps in. Focus on yourselves, not on England or anyone else."

United have won only nine of their 28 Premier League matches this season, a win ratio of 32 percent. Under new coach Ruben Amorim, the team has only won five of the last 17 matches and lost eight times.

However, Merson hopes that Amorim can turn the trend:

"He is a young, enthusiastic coach who has done fantastically in Portugal. He broke Benfica's and Porto's dominance there. I hope he succeeds, but he needs players that fit his system. Right now, United is far from where they should be."

He concludes with a grim forecast:

"If someone told me United would finish top six next season, I would say 'not a chance'. They seem more interested in building a new stadium than getting back to the Champions League. Manchester United face Leicester City away this Sunday – the match is live on Sky Sports from 18:30, with kickoff at 19:00.