Man Utd spends £50m upgrading headquarters: There is even a private hair salon for players

VHO - Carrington training center has been "transformed" with modern design, state-of-the-art recovery area and unprecedented facilities in English football, to help Man Utd catch up with big rivals after a forgettable season.

Man Utd's new training centre will have a recreation area and private barbershop for players, like Luke Shaw.

Manchester United are set to open their Carrington training ground, which has undergone a £50m refurbishment.

The project is expected to officially open next month, when coach Ruben Amorim and his team return from their pre-season tour in the US.

The highlight of the center is the private hair salon for the players, something that has never appeared at any training ground of any football team in England.

The barber shop is a separate room with plenty of chairs and specialist equipment. It is not yet clear whether the club will employ permanent barbers or let players invite their own, with the growing profession of footballer hairdressers thanks to social media and multi-million pound mansions.

Not only the barber shop, entertainment area, luxury canteen and other relaxation facilities are also focused on in the new design.

The aim is to create a more cohesive environment, allowing players to stay at the training centre longer rather than leaving quickly after training.

Some club staff admit that the facilities at Man Utd's training centre have fallen behind those of their rivals.

A boost from Ineos

The Carrington refurbishment was spearheaded and funded by Ineos, who hired renowned architectural firm Foster + Partners, led by Manchester-based architect Norman Foster, to completely renovate the two-storey first team building.

This is also the unit that is planning the new 100,000-seat stadium that Man Utd is cherishing.

Sir Dave Brailsford – Ineos sporting director and close to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe – played a key role in the project.

He looked at modern models from American football clubs before coming up with the direction for Carrington. Collette Roche, Man Utd's CEO, is in charge of overall coordination.

On the ground floor, the training area is designed with a flow , allowing players to move sequentially from the changing room to the gym, swimming pool, recovery area, massage room and then onto the pitch – similar to how Liverpool designed their facilities. A state-of-the-art cryogenic recovery chamber and upgraded gym are two of the highlights.

After buying a 27.7% stake in the club last year, Ratcliffe pledged to invest a further £237m in infrastructure.

Ronaldo complained – Ineos took action

When he returned to Man Utd in 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo criticized the swimming pool at Carrington as being "the same as it was in 2003-2009".

Although some leaders at the time thought CR7's complaints were exaggerated, Ineos accepted and included the swimming pool in the list of renovation items.

Additionally, the ground floor hallway – once criticized by staff for being dark and hospital-like – now has skylights.

The second floor of the building was also redesigned in an open space direction, replacing the previous series of small offices, to encourage interaction between departments.

Some staff from the commercial department at Old Trafford will be transferred to Carrington, making it the club's main operational headquarters.

Ronaldo criticised the outdated facilities at Carrington during his second spell at Man Utd.

From “lagging behind” to infrastructure race

Although Carrington was considered a state-of-the-art training centre when it opened in 2000, after more than two decades it has become outdated.

“Carrington has stopped over time” – Ronaldo's statement is acknowledged by many internal staff as true.

Meanwhile, rivals such as Man City, Liverpool, Leicester City and Tottenham have continuously invested and launched magnificent training centers in the past 10 years. The gap is not only on the field, but also in the infrastructure serving top-notch sports.

In 2023, Man Utd opened a £10m building for the women's team and youth academy, which was also used as a temporary training facility for the first team while Carrington was being renovated.

Ready for the new season

The final stages of completion are currently being rushed to implement. The training area is expected to be ready to welcome coach Ruben Amorim's squad after they return from a three-match tour of the US on August 4.

Five days later, the Red Devils will play their final pre-season friendly against Fiorentina at Old Trafford.

Before that, Man Utd's opening friendly of the 2025 summer will be a clash with Leeds United in Stockholm this Saturday.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/man-utd-chi-50-trieu-bang-nang-cap-dai-ban-doanh-co-ca-tiem-cat-toc-rieng-cho-cau-thu-153430.html