Sir Jim Ratcliffe has committed £50million to modernising Manchester United’s training ground (Picture: Getty)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has confirmed Manchester United’s Carrington training complex is set to undergo a £50million makeover.
As well as committing to overhauling Erik ten Hag’s first team squad, the British billionaire is intent on upgrading United’s infrastructure.
Already significant changes at board level have been made with the appointments of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Sir David Brailsford.
With a new-look backroom team now in place, United will now press ahead with plans to bring their training facilities in line with their Premier League rivals.
A statement on United’s website read: ‘Manchester United will commence work to modernise the men’s first team building at Carrington Training Complex next week, with a focus on creating a high-performance collaborative environment for players and staff.
‘The £50 million project will result in all areas of the building being refurbished to deliver a world-class football facility with a positive culture to support future success.
‘The architectural practice Foster + Partners, led by Manchester-born Lord Norman Foster, has been appointed to lead the project. Foster + Partners has a rich history of designing pioneering football stadiums and arenas. The practice was responsible for the reshaping of Wembley Stadium and the design of the Lusail Stadium in Qatar – the centrepiece of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford of INEOS meet Manager Erik ten Hag at Carrington (Picture: Getty)
Cristiano Ronaldo slammed Manchester United’s training facilities following his return to the club (Picture: Getty)
What Cristiano Ronaldo said about Carrington
The Manchester United idol slammed the facilities at the club ahead of his acrimonious departure following his second spell at the club.
He said: ‘I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero. Nothing changed. Surprisingly.
‘Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym… Even some points, the technology, the kitchen, the chefs, which is, I appreciate, lovely persons. They stopped in a time, which surprised me a lot.’
‘The renovation work will begin on Monday and is expected to last for 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.
‘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.
‘This latest phase of development at Carrington follows the opening of the £10 million state-of-the-art women’s and Academy building last summer – meaning more than £60 million will have been invested in creating a truly integrated facility for our entire football department over the past two years.
Ratcliffe, co-owner of the Premier League giants, said: ‘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. This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest
standards.
‘Lord Foster, a fellow Mancunian, has brought some great inspiration to the design, in conjunction with the Manchester United team and we look forward to seeing the improvement to the facilities but most importantly on the pitch.’
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