Middle of Table: Manchester United star Ryan Giggs hopes to buy a synagogue for a downtown real-estate development he is spearheading in the English city. His team are currently languishing in the middle of the table, eight points below leaders Arsenal. Image by getty images

Manchester United soccer star Ryan Giggs and retired icon Gary Neville reportedly plan to buy a synagogue in Manchester as part of a sprawling redevelopment plan they are spearheading.

The longtime teammates want to buy the Manchester Reform Synagogue, which located in a prime location in the city’s dilapidated central business district, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

The synagogue purchase will be part of a deal to develop a abandoned police station and other properties which the budding real estate developers hope to turn into a multimillion dollar mixed commercial-residential complex.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The shul was built in the early 50’s, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Nazi blitz of 1941.

The plans call for the building to be torn down and replaced by a new ‘eco-friendly’ synagogue, along with apartments, shops and a spanking-new community center.

The synagogue’s president Danny Savage confirmed the discussions with Giggs and Neville, who are among Manchester sports royalty, but declined to give further details.

“Our uniqueness as the only city-center synagogue make it more inclusive a community, predominantly for the Jewish community. Our hope is that it will include meeting spaces, which have been given a lot of thought,” the president said, according to the Chronicle.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount