The mayor has now called on the government to fund plans to connect the under-construction Parkside freight terminal on the St Helens-Wigan border to the West Coast Main Line, which could cost in region of hundreds of millions of pounds.
“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 said taking the freight to Parkside and out of Manchester city centre “fixes things for passengers”.
“They won’t have to have the freight disruption.”
He said: “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.”
The mayor was joined by ex-Manchester United and England star Gary Neville, who sits on a task force created by the club to evaluate the best options for the future of Old Trafford.
Neville said he was “not bothered if it’s either” a new stadium or the existing one being refurbished.
“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.”
