The club's training ground reportedly needs major upgrades that may necessitate a move
(Image credit: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Manchester United are keeping an open mind about the future of training ground Carrington, up to and including the possibility of opening a brand new complex elsewhere, according to reports.
The Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst writes that United have been frustrated in their efforts to expand the training ground, which opened in 2000, finding themselves penned in by a country road on one side and potentially unsuitable farmland on another.
Not wishing to sacrifice any of their existing pitches for the new indoor facilities they wish to construct, that leaves United considering their options, with Luckhurst adding that senior figures have been mulling over a potential move for the past two years.
The Carrington Training Complex is a little behind some rivals' (Image credit: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Carrington was a state-of-the-art facility when it opened 24 years ago but has fallen behind the standard now set by many of their Premier League rivals – and even some clubs further down the league.
Championship leaders Leicester City invested heavily in their own facilities following their 2016 title win, while former United trainee Charlie Savage said earlier this season that League One side Reading had training facilities that were ‘on a par with United at the minute’.
United are set to move into a new era under incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has already been credited with poaching new chief executive Omar Berrada from Manchester City amid claims that cycling supremo Sir Dave Brailsford is leading a full audit into the club’s operations.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
