Manchester United have announced that they will begin work next week on the £50m redevelopment of their Carrington ground.
Renovations to the men’s team’s first build are expected to last throughout the 2024-25 season, with transient adjustments at the venue to allow players to continue at the facility.
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United has appointed Foster Partners to lead the project. The Manchester-based architecture firm is responsible for the design of the new Wembley and Lusail stadiums in Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final.
The works will take place in the sports hall and medical, nutrition and recovery facilities, and follow the £10 million refurbishment of the women’s building and academy last summer.
The plans were pushed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s new minority owner, who claimed that the quality of the club’s educational services was inadequate compared to that of its Premier League rivals.
“We need to create a world-class environment for our teams to win. When we did a thorough review of the educational facilities at Carrington and met with the players from our men’s first team, it became clear that the criteria were lower than some of our teammates,” said Ratcliffe.
“This task will allow Manchester United’s educational floor to be renovated to the highest standards. “
Architect Lord Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster Partners, said: “We are very pleased to be leading the refurbishment of Manchester United’s Carrington centre.
“As a proud citizen of Manchester, it is a special honour for me to have been entrusted with this task to Foster Partners and we will look forward to our design reflecting the spirit, determination and ambition of the industry that exemplifies Manchester and Manchester United. “
United’s educational floor has already been criticised for lagging behind other clubs’ facilities, adding when Cristiano Ronaldo described Carrington as “frozen in time” before leaving the club in 2022.
“It’s surprising, nothing has changed,” Ronaldo said, comparing the move to his first spell at Real Madrid before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009.
“Not just the pool, the hot tub, even the gym. Even the kitchen, the chefs I like, lovely people. They stopped in time. This affects me a lot.
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