Manchester United next big project away from the pitch could be the building of a brand new training ground, having outgrown their current base at Carrington.
United moved to Carrington, built on former farmland near the M60 ring road in 2002 after legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson had grown concerned by a lack of privacy at The Cliff, the club's previous primary training base since the 1930s and still used for some youth operations.
The likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have developed better elite training facilities in more recent years. But it's not as straightforward as just adding to or redeveloping the Carrington site in order to become a world leader once more.
It is thought that United occupy around 85 acres at Carrington, with a report from the Daily Mail noting that 100 acres of buildable land is seen as the minimum to meet demands now. The current site is considered to be at capacity without sufficient space for parking as it is.
Rebuilding on a new site is seen as one of the possible options. With a desired location in the affluent areas in south Manchester and north Cheshire, making it a short commute for many of the men's players, the Mail adds that United have already scouted out golf courses to purchase and transform. One such course is High Legh, near the exclusive village of Knutsford, was put up for sale in 2023 by current owners American Golf – but talks did not yield an agreement.
No final decisions have been made, with another to build a new facility which may not be as big but still keep both Carrington and The Cliff as bases for the women's and academy teams. It is said, however, that the preference would be everyone housed one site. For reference, Manchester City's entire training operation for every level is based at the Etihad Campus, adjacent to the stadium.
It is not clear whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who will soon be in charge of the club's sporting operations once his 25% buy-in deal is ratified, would be covering the cost of a new training facility.
United only recently completed a state-of-the-art women's team facility at Carrington that was several years in the making. Frustration over training facilities is believed to have been a factor behind Casey Stoney's shock resignation as manager in 2021, with construction of a new purpose-built facility eventually beginning in February 2023 and opening in October.
