Manchester United have unveiled their new £50 million first-team facility at the Carrington training ground.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially opened the men’s team’s new facility at Carrington, following Sir Alex Ferguson’s unveiling of a plaque honoring long-serving club receptionist Kath Phipps, who passed away last year. Ratcliffe said the upgrades reflect the ambitions of a club aiming to be among Europe’s elite, as part of his ongoing mission to restore United to their former glory.
Diogo Dalot says there will be “no excuses” if Manchester United do not succeed after the opening of a new £50m training facility.
Dalot said: “The big thing that I like the most is now there’s going to be no excuses. Ultimately, the thing that will define us is what we do on the pitch. I think what is going to bring joy to the fans, joy to ourselves is winning games. We’re getting all the conditions to put us in the best position to win. And then we just have to make that final step.”
The entire squad, along with the coaching staff, chief executive Omar Berrada, and football director Jason Wilcox, attended the ceremony. Dignitaries included former chief executive David Gill and ex-captain Bryan Robson, now serving as a club ambassador.
“We are delighted with the outcome and are confident the new facility will play an important role in building a winning culture at the club,” Ratcliffe said.
United relocated from The Cliff to Carrington at the start of the century, gradually modifying the site over the years but ending up with a fragmented layout. The extensive redesign by Foster + Partners seeks to address this, focusing on improving the flow of a player’s movement through the building. Natural light now brightens what was once a dim interior, and new communal areas have been added to encourage player interaction.“Equipment and technology have been upgraded throughout, with a focus on fitness, nutrition, recovery and team unity,” United said.
When Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined United in 2021, he criticised the lack of progress at Carrington over the 12 years since his departure, remarking that it had “stopped in time.”
The club acknowledged that their training ground had lagged behind those of other Premier League sides, and Ratcliffe singled it out as a key area for improvement. Upgrading the facility was made a priority within his £237.6 million infrastructure investment.
The site now features a barber’s shop—goalkeeper Tom Heaton joked it would be most used by Diogo Dalot—alongside a Formula One simulation room and a padel court, the latter included at the players’ request.
The new facility is expected to encourage players to spend more time at the training ground, with features tailored to the needs of the modern footballer. Upgrades include a larger first-team changing room and an improved canteen, while sleep pods and dry floating tanks for relaxation are set to be added soon.
Medical and rehabilitation areas have been overhauled to rival the top amenities in other elite sports, with a new basement housing recovery pools and an altitude training room.
With the men’s team moving into the new facility, the women’s side will be able to return to their own spaces. They had been relocated to temporary structures over the past year so the men could use the best available resources during construction.
“We’ve all been blown away by the opportunity this is going to provide in terms of a world-class facility,” said Heaton, who first trained at the site in the early 2000s in the academy. “Of course people make a building, players on the pitch bring performances and bring results, but in terms of what that [the new facilities] can give you, in terms of providing help and stability for that performance, I think everyone’s excited.”
