Liverpool's planned expansion of Anfield has been put back by 12 months due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Plans to expand the Anfield Road end to a 16,000-seater stand were initially revealed last year, with the club opening up consultation with fans and local residents as they sought to take Anfield's total capacity to 61,000.
With demand for tickets to see the current European champions and likely Premier League winners at an all-time high, the Reds had hoped to begin work on the stand in December this year in order to finish it in time for the start of the 2022/23 season.
But with the project expected to be a 18 month-long process, the year-long delay ensures that the final work can be done in the summer of 2023 in order to not impact on attendances.
“We have experienced a number of delays to the planned project as a direct result of the COVID-19 lockdown," said Liverpool's chief operating officer Andy Hughes.
“Given the challenges that many sectors are facing right now, including the construction, procurement and public sectors, we are taking a responsible approach to pause the project for at least 12 months.
“The complex build programme for Anfield Road is an 18 month process and needs two clear summer closed season windows in order for it to be successful.
“This is why we are pausing on the project for at least 12 months so the earliest we could complete the programme is summer 2023 rather than summer 2022 as originally planned.
“Given the planning application is no longer time critical, it is our intention to submit our planning application at some stage during the next 12 months.
“We will use this period to review and consider options.
“When the football calendar and the wider delays to the construction and supply chain industries begin to plateau, we will provide further updates.”
