Manchester United to start work on £50m Carrington renovation in bid for 'world-class' training facility | OneFootball

Sir Jim Ratcliffe insists complex will be returned to the highest standards after facilities fell behind those of their rivals

Manchester United have announced grand plans to further revitalise the club’s training complex as they bid to match their Premier League rivals moving forward.

The Red Devils are set to completely refurbish the men’s first-team building - first opened in 2000 - in the next phase of their planned redevelopment of the Trafford Training Centre at Carrington beginning next week, with the project costing £50million.

United have enlisted the services of Foster + Partners, the London firm led by Lord Norman Foster who have worked on some of the world’s biggest architecture projects.

United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is now in charge of football operations at Old Trafford after completing a £1.65bn deal to purchase a 27.7 per cent stake in his boyhood club in February, said the club wanted to create a “world-class environment” for teams to win after initial assessments made it clear that the facilities at Carrington had now fallen behind those of their top-flight rivals.

“This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards,” Ratcliffe said.

“Lord Foster, a fellow Mancunian, has brought some great inspiration to the design, in conjunction with the Manchester United team and we look forward to seeing the improvement to the facilities but most importantly on the pitch.”

Lord Foster said the plan was to ”modernise and revitalise the building as a catalyst for future footballing success, creating spaces that inspire a culture of collaboration, unity and belonging”.

Grand plans: Manchester United are set to embark upon their next phase of modernising the Carrington training complex

Manchester United via Getty Images

He added: “We are delighted to lead the renewal of Manchester United’s training facility in Carrington.

“As a proud Mancunian, it is a particular honour for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility and we will ensure that our design captures the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and Manchester United.”