The Red Devils have finally caught up with their rivals after a year of upheaval at Carrington and GOAL has taken a look inside the revamped facility.
Cristiano Ronaldo sounded the alarm in his final bombshell interview as a Manchester United player and less than three years later the club has heeded the call, unveiling a completely revamped training centre on Friday. And Diogo Dalot believes that his Portugal team-mate and former club companion would be happy with the results. He might even send Ronaldo pictures of the £50m ($67m) makeover, which United firmly believe has brought them into line with their main rivals, if he asks to see it.
"I'm sure he would love it if he would be able to see it. But overall I think the message was clear that this club deserved even more," Dalot told reporters at the opening of the renovated training facility at Carrington. "We've been waiting for a long time at the club, so all credit to Sir Jim and his team. I think they did an unbelievable job and I think finally we're getting to a level where this club deserves and now it's up to us to, on the pitch, also match that standard."
United's players spent last season training at the women's and academy facilities while work was completed on their building but the project was completed on budget and on time, more than a week before the new campaign. Sir Jim Ratcliffe cut the ribbon to open the new facility in a ceremony attended by the whole squad and coaching staff.
Sir Alex Ferguson was also there and he unveiled a plaque to the late Kath Phipps, the club's receptionist who served United for 55 years and in the words of the legendary manager, "this was her life, every day."
As well as honouring the club's past, this was about taking the club into the future. Ratcliffe said: "This is one of the most recognised brands in the world, it stands shoulder to shoulder with Coca-Cola and Apple. The club has to compete at the highest level that is appropriate to the size and history of the club. While a world class training facility won’t take us to that position alone, it is one of the key ingredients in the modern facility. Now we have one."
The facility has been carefully designed to take United back to being the elite club they were when Carrington opened in 2000 - the year after the Red Devils won the treble. In the words of Dalot: "What I like the most is now there's going to be no excuses."
And GOAL has taken a tour of the building, getting an inside view of how players and staff will benefit from the new facilities. And here are the things that stood out the most...