Man Utd's new £50million training ground to have barbers and swimming pool after Cristiano Ronaldo complaints

The Sun

17-07-2025

MANCHESTER UNITED'S swanky new £50million training ground is set to open next month - and players will be treated to their very own BARBER SHOP.
The Red Devils are pulling out all the stops to catch up to their rivals after Cristiano Ronaldo blasted the club's "stagnant" infrastructure during his second spell.
7
7
7
7
And with Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking on Ronaldo's words of wisdom a year ago, the five-star sporting complex will be ready to welcome back Ruben Amorim 's squad from their pre-season tour of the United States in August.
The plans were drawn up by Ratcliffe's pals at Foster + Partners, who have also been brought in to build United's new 100,000-seater Wembley of the North by 2030.
Meanwhile, Amorim and his players have been using academy team facilities over the past year while the two-tier first team building at their Carrington training ground was renovated.
United are yet to publicly reveal images of the facility, but The Times report that it contains state-of-the-art equipment designed to help performance.
Supposedly cash-strapped United funded the upgrade through Ratcliffe's £236million fresh capital investment to improving the club's infrastructure after purchasing a 27.7 per cent minority stake.
Upstairs, there will be a recreational area for players to relax and they can also have their hair cut in a specifically-designed barbers room.
It is believed to be the first training ground in the UK with a dedicated barbers.
It remains to be seen whether United will employ their own club barber or allow players to bring in their own.
7
The idea behind having a barbers, a top-class canteen and new swimming pool at Carrington is to persuade the players to stay for longer, and not dash off home as soon as training is over.
Team bonding is a must for Amorim, who hasn't enjoyed the summer reset he was hoping for, with several stars, including Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, still needing to be sold before next season.
Juventus want Rashford!
On the ground level, a flow system has been introduced that means the players visit the changing rooms, gym, pool, and medical and massage areas in the right order before they head out on to the pitches for their training session.
State-of-the-art cryogenic chambers have been installed at Carrington and gym facilities have been upgraded.
After returning to the club that made him in 2021, Ronaldo pointed out that the swimming pool was the same one since he left for Real Madrid in 2009.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner complained that "loose, chipped and missing tiles" within the pools were a safety hazard - and refused to use them.
Senior figures felt the criticism was harsh, but Ineos accepted that the pool needed a revamp.
7
7
Windows have been installed in the corridor on the bottom floor because staff complained the areas mimicked a dingy NHS"hospital".
Ineos also wanted the offices on second floor to be open plan, which is designed to improve collaboration between departments.
The idea is that the training ground will become the club's base of operations, with several senior members of departments other than football, such as commercial, to be transferred from Old Trafford.
In 2023, the club opened the £10million building shared between the women's and academy teams, which has been the temporary home of Amorim's squad during works to the first-team building.
Ratcliffe's sporting director and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford had a huge input into the project, visiting similar facilities at American football teams.
Collette Roche, United's chief operating officer, was in overall charge of the project.
Carrington was a modern complex when United moved there in 2000 after leaving their former training ground The Cliff.
But it had rotted away which is why some staff thought Ronaldo had a point when he said that it had 'stopped in time' after his return to United.