Manchester United have unveiled stunning plans to transform Carrington into a state-of-the-art training facility.
United have released images of a planned £50m redevelopment of their training base in southwest Manchester.
It is the latest step in co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s masterplan to transform United, with the club also exploring plans to redevelop their stadium Old Trafford.
“We will begin work to modernise the men’s first-team building at Carrington next week,” United announced in a post on X.
“The £50m project will see all areas of the building refurbished to deliver a world-class facility, creating a high-performance environment for players and staff.”
Architectural practice Foster + Partners, led by Manchester-born Lord Norman Foster, has been appointed to lead the project.
The practice was involved in redeveloping Wembley Stadium and the design of the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which staged the 2022 World Cup final.
United confirmed renovation work would begin on Monday and is expected to last the duration of the 2024/25 season.
“The initial focus will be on the gym, medical, nutrition, and recovery areas, with a design emphasis on creating more space for collaboration and innovation among players and staff,” read a club statement.
“Temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to ensure players and staff from all our teams can continue to operate successfully next season.”
The redevelopment of Carrington follows the opening of the £10m women’s and Academy building last summer.
Speaking of the latest plans, Ratcliffe told the club’s website: “We want to create a world class environment for our teams to win.
“When we conducted a thorough review of the Carrington training facilities and met with our men’s first team players, it was clear the standards had fallen below some of our peers.
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(Image: Manchester United and Foster + Partners)
“This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards.”
The decision to redevelop the club’s training facilities follows criticism from United legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese star admitted he was shocked by the lack of progress at the club after returning for his second spell at United in 2021.
“It was a weird feeling at Manchester United,” he told The Daily Mail ahead of his move to Al Nassr.
“For me, it is the biggest club in the world, no doubt, but I joined at the wrong time.
“The training ground needed to be more modern and other things needed to change.
“You could feel the atmosphere at the club wasn’t great. I was very surprised, I was thinking, sometimes, ‘Come on, we are all playing for Manchester United, we should smile every day, of course there is high pressure but you need to be strong to play.’
“As a player, you always blame yourself and I know what went wrong with me. If you play for Manchester United, you have quality, I was full of dreams going there and didn’t expect things to go that way.”
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Featured Image Credit: Getty, Manchester United & Foster + Partners
Topics: Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Premier League