Every few years, Manchester United like to take assorted media and other guests behind the scenes at their Carrington training ground HQ. They always do so with a sense of pride.
Chief executive Ed Woodward once enthusiastically pointed to a bank of screens in the recruitment department, explaining the global data had provided 804 options for a new right-back and had concluded a £50million outlay on Aaron-Wan Bissaka as being the best deal.
After Woodward left, director of football John Murtough was tour host in 2023. He let slip the club would no longer be Patsy’s in the transfer market and enter protracted negotiations with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for Harry Kane. Instead, they signed Rasmus Hojlund for £72million.
Given that recent history, it was a somewhat cynical bunch of hacks who gathered at Carrington on Friday as United rolled out the red carpet to show off a £50million refurbishment that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes will trigger a ‘winning culture’ at English football’s biggest club.
We probably won’t have the definitive answer for a good while yet. Leicester City think they have the best training ground in Europe but it’s not done them much good with two relegations in the last three seasons.
To be fair though, United have presented their case admirably that a happy workplace will transfer to results on the pitch.
Space has been created so that personnel who previously worked at Old Trafford can now be based at Carrington
Movers include big-hitters like CEO Omar Berrada and figures in the commercial department
The spiral staircase linking the ground floor to the first floor is flanked by some of United’s trophies and a bust of Sir Matt Busby
Make no mistake, there are plenty of bells and whistles at the new Carrington. Underwater treadmills, F1 simulator games, sleep pods, live performance tracking in the gym, smart urinals, a barber’s and menu options to make a five-star restaurant jealous. A padel court is coming soon at the request of the players.
Space has been created so that personnel who previously worked at Old Trafford can now be based at Carrington. Movers include big-hitters like CEO Omar Berrada and figures in the commercial department. The intention is to make the club feel as United as its name would suggest.
What made this tour feel different to others, and should give confidence to fans that a genuine rebuild is possible, is that the hierarchy have been happy to cede control to experts and allowed themselves to be advised rather than pretending to already know it all.
Cutting the ribbon, Sir Jim even made a joke about having to listen to so many suggestions from manager Ruben Amorim about what the new place should look like. Amorim laughed along, slightly nervously, but he’ll be pleased his input was taken into account.
Arguably the most important voice during the tour was that of Patrick Campbell, a senior architect working for the renowned Sir Norman Foster.
Architects love light and Campbell repeatedly stressed the need to make Carrington – variously compared to a gloomy dungeon or hospital – a brighter, more joyful place in which to work every day.
The canteen area with giant windows overlooking the training pitches and a barber shop in the corner where players can invite their personal hair stylists is a space players will want to stay together after training.
That extra time chatting in comfort or playing F1 chair can be important for building team spirit. Remember, Luke Shaw complained on the US tour that the culture in past seasons has been ‘toxic’.
Cutting the ribbon, Sir Jim even made a joke about having to listen to so many suggestions from manager Ruben Amorim about what the new place should look like
Sir Alex Ferguson attended the official opening of the refurbished training complex
The Scotsman was seen with Ratcliffe at the unveiling on Friday
Berrada will have seen a holistic approach work at Manchester City. To that end, United’s new treatment room has changed location so injured players are not tucked away and ignored.
They now have a space large enough to work on their rehab together. They can also see the training pitches, both providing extra motivation to get fit, but also giving a sense in the meantime of still being part of the family.
Likewise, the under-23s dressing-room is no longer in a separate building but along the corridor from the first-team. Enough to give the feel of being part of the same firmament.
There are enough examples of United past to remind the current players – including summer signings Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha with Benjamin Sesko due to follow – of who they are representing.
Sir Alex Ferguson unveiled a plaque by the main entrance in honour of receptionist Kath Phipps who greeted visitors to United for 55 years before her death last year. He chatted animatedly afterwards on a sofa in the first-floor lounge to his old captain Bryan Robson – both seemed delighted to be back.
The spiral staircase linking the ground floor to the first floor is flanked by some of United’s trophies and a bust of Sir Matt Busby, the manager who made it all possible. Nobody, regardless of age, will be able to walk up or down through the day without glancing at them.
The £50million question of course is whether it will ultimately make any difference to United’s ambitions to first return to the Champions League, and then win their first Premier League title since Fergie left in 2013.
Of all the players on United’s books, 39-year-old third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton is probably best qualified to say.
Ratcliffe likened the club brand to Coca-Cola and Apple as he presented the new facility
He started at the club aged 11 and was turning pro when United first moved to Carrington in 2000. He was part of the squad that won the Champions League under Ferguson in 2008 before furthering his career as first-choice with Burnley and Aston Villa, returning to Old Trafford in 2001.
‘It felt like a pivotal moment when we moved to Carrington. They were incredible facilities for that time, but the game evolves,’ says Heaton. ‘By the end, it wasn’t quite up to what we wanted.
‘We went away from the main building last season so they could rebuild and walking back through the door, we have all been blown away. We’ve been given an opportunity in terms of having world-class facilities.
‘It is true people make a building and players on the pitch bring results. But the building can provide the help and stability into providing those performances and I think everyone is excited.’
United are nothing if not ambitious. Sir Jim likened the club brand to Coca-Cola and Apple as he presented the new facility. The new media centre has been designed to meet UEFA specifications to hold Champions League press conferences, even though the team finished 15th last season.
It was only at the start of last year that Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 27.7% share in United. Whilst the billionaire has grand schemes ahead, like making Old Trafford the Wembley of the North, this is his first completed project.
He was treated respectfully by captain Bruno Fernandes and the players who attended on Friday – Rasmus Hojlund greeted him with a strong handshake and a ‘Hello Mr Chairman’. They know, in the words of Diogo Dalot, that they have ‘no excuses’ now they’ve been provided with a perfect working environment.
‘Everywhere I go, however remote from the Gobi desert to northern Greenland, I bump into Manchester United fans,’ said Sir Jim.
‘Everyone in the world knows Manchester United. We have to compete at the highest level. It is appropriate to the size, history and brand of the club. Though a world-class training facility won’t take us there alone, it is one of the key ingredients in the modern world.’
