Cristiano Ronaldo (40, Al Nassr)'s criticism ultimately transformed Manchester United (Man U)'s training ground.
The UK 'The Sun' reported on the 18th (Korea time), citing 'The Times', that after completing the U.S. preseason tour on August 4, the first team led by manager Ruben Amorim would return to the new training ground.
Man U spent £10 million (about 18.7 billion won) last year on a separate building for the women's and youth teams, and this has been used as the temporary first team training ground for last season.
Man U's first team training ground, Carrington, was criticized by Ronaldo when he returned in 2021 for its outdated facilities. Ronaldo noted at the time that "the pool tiles are broken and loose," and criticized that nothing had changed compared to when he left for Real Madrid in 2009.
In response, club owner Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS group invested £236 million (about 440.9 billion won), some of which was used for improving training ground infrastructure.
As a result, Carrington has been transformed into a training ground designed around the players. The first floor has been arranged to optimize movement, linking the changing rooms, gym, pool, physiotherapy room, and massage room to ensure smooth flow before and after training. Additionally, a cutting-edge cryo chamber has been introduced for recovery.
The second floor is designed so that players can rest instead of heading home immediately after training. Also, a dedicated barbershop, the first of its kind in a UK training ground, has been established, along with a high-end restaurant and swimming pool. However, it is undecided whether to have a club-employed barber or allow players to bring in their personal stylists.
Manager Amorim emphasizes strengthening teamwork. This space arrangement aligns with this team management philosophy, encouraging players to stay with the team and enhance their cohesion.
This training ground remodeling was designed by the famous architecture firm 'Foster and Partners'. This company is also in charge of constructing a stadium aimed for completion by 2030. The stadium, expected to seat 100,000, is predicted to be called Man U's new 'Wembley of the North.'
Meanwhile, Man U, which finished 15th in the league last season, will play its first preseason match against Leeds United in Sweden on the 19th. After facing Fiorentina on August 9 for the last preseason game, Man U will kick off the 2025-2026 Premier League season against Arsenal on August 19.
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