Liverpool's Anfield Road stand delayed again, boosting developments at Arsenal and Manchester United

Fans sit under unfinished building work on the new stand at Anfield Road. Photo: Getty Images/Simon Stackpool

Arsenal and Manchester United will not welcome Anfield's full strength in the Premier League this season after Liverpool confirmed their new stand will not be completed until the end of 2023.

Liverpool say the full opening of their £60 million Anfield Road stadium expansion is now complete. was delayed until at least January after the previous contractor, Buckingham Group, went bust.

Although the lower part of the stand remains open, the upper tier of the new stand was originally intended for preparations for the start of the season. It was pushed back to October for a partial opening ahead of next weekend's Merseyside derby, but was then delayed again after Buckingham's financial difficulties halted construction.

Although work is again underway under a new contractor, Liverpool say that they were forced to reconsider the completion schedule again and decided not to rush into a final schedule.

«We are very disappointed to have to deliver this news and are very sorry to all those fans who have been affected,» said Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan.

“You can see what games are coming up on the fixture list, not just the derby but as it progresses through the rest of the calendar year. And we know that every match at Anfield is important and we know that it means so much to our fans. This means that we will ultimately be unable to provide seating for ticketed fans in the upper level. Our team has identified who these supporters are and will be contacting them directly next week.

Honestly, I know this is of little consolation, but those supporters who purchased these canceled tickets will not lose credit for this purchase. This is a truly difficult and deeply frustrating situation. We are all very disappointed to have to break this news, we know how this news will affect many supporters. But our team and consultants are working incredibly hard to ensure we are doing everything we can to move the project forward as quickly as possible.»

Once completed, Anfield's capacity will increase to 60,000. The stadium will have around 9,000 fewer seats until the new stand is fully opened.

Arsenal travel to Anfield on December 23, with United facing Jurgen Klopp's side on Merseyside a week earlier. Newcastle United are also set to travel to Anfield before the end of the year, meaning they will experience a similar drop in attendance on December 30.