The winds of change are strong at Manchester United after the vision of an exciting future was laid out recently by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co.
Man Utd’s plans for a new stadium have a shape now, with a 100k-seater iconic monument set to be executed under the watchful eye of Norman Foster.
The new stadium will stand as the biggest legacy for the Ineos regime at Manchester United but that’s just the big picture.
In true “marginal gains” philosophy of Sir Dave Brailsford, United have also made a number of smaller changes that can combine to make a big impact.
One is set to open in August, with CEO Omar Berrada delivering an exciting update on a key Ineos project at the club.
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Photo by Harriet Massey/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Omar Berrada on “state-of-the-art” Man Utd project
Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe might have caught a lot of flak, and rightly so at times, for their decisions off the pitch but their intention can’t be doubted.
Since investing nearly £300 million on top of his first payment that went to the Glazers, work has begun at United to improve smaller things.
The tunnel at Old Trafford has been given a modernised look and some small quality-of-life changes for the players have been aimed at creating an elite environment.
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The project under which it all comes is the redevelopment of the training ground, with Carrington receiving the attention it has craved for long.
Omar Berrada, in an interview with Man Utd’s official website, said that the new ‘state-of-the-art’ training facility is on track to be opened by August, just in time for the new season.
He said: “Yeah, we’re on track to open it [new training facility] by early August and, again, you know, we should be really proud of what it’s going to be. It’s going to be a state-of-the-art training facility.
“And we’re going to be able to have some of the best equipment in the new facilities and the best design, which, as you know, has been done by Norman Foster’s.
“That should really bring the spirits up and, you know, make the players feel that they’re operating in an elite environment. And I think we should all be proud of that.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s bold claim on new training facility
Berrada’s sentiments were echoed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in a separate interview with the official club channel, saying Carrington will be one of the “world’s best” training facilities when it opens.
He said: “Carrington will be best-in-class. We’ll have one of the world’s best training facilities. Foster’s done a great job with Carrington.
“£50 million we’ve spent on that building so it will be a really impressive change. There will be no player at Man Utd who will ever say it’s not good as somewhere else. It will be as good as anywhere else.”
Amid the new stadium plans, Ruben Amorim’s first full season, an exciting summer transfer window, and new training facilities, the next season is shaping up to be a transformative one for Man Utd.
Now the hope is to finish this one on a high, starting with Real Sociedad in the Europa League.