With Old Trafford in desperate need of improvement, a new report claims the Glazers are keen to keep players away from Tampa Bay.
Ruben Amorim is tasked with improving Manchester United's performance on the pitch, but there are other problems behind the scenes. For years, Old Trafford was one of the best football stadiums in the world, but it has fallen from prominence, unlike the newer Premier League venues.
The issue of facilities has become an increasingly lively topic among United fans and players, with roof leaks and rodent problems at the 'Theatre of Dreams'. The Glazer family have been blamed for a lack of club investment and a new report reveals they are well aware of their negligence.
Mark Ogden of The Athletic tells a story that Manchester United are deliberately kept away from the state-of-the-art facilities of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their trips to the United States. The Buccaneers, like United, are owned by the Glazers. However, they recently added a new 100,000-square-foot indoor practice facility with air conditioning and room for 3,500 spectators.
Ogden claims that players are being kept out of Tampa because “if the players had gone to the Buccaneers training ground and realized what they had and what United don't have, there might have been a mutiny at the club.”
Last year it was reported that Manchester United were considering a huge project to build a new stadium with a capacity of 100,000. However, the $2 billion investment would likely require significant public funding to support it, something not common in British sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticizes Old Trafford facilities
Players and fans alike have been criticizing the lack of investment in crucial infrastructure for years. However, former player Cristiano Ronaldo's 2023 comments really hit home and highlighted the need for change.
CR7 left United in 2009 and returned in 2021, but revealed there was no evidence of “evolution at the club” during his 12-year absence.
“Surprisingly, nothing has changed. Not just the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. Even the kitchen, the chefs, who I appreciate – lovely people. They stopped in time. It really surprised me,” he explains.
“I thought I would see different things, technologies and infrastructure. Unfortunately, we are seeing a lot of what I used to see when I was 21, 22 and 23 years old. It really surprised me.”
These comments have only highlighted the dire situation at Manchester United, which also has to pay off $650 million in historic debt the club accumulated through its 2005 acquisition of Glazer. Those outstanding debts create a massive infrastructure project of the sort that necessary is very difficult. to be expected and it seems unlikely that United's situation will change in the near future.
Get your game on! Whether you like NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class football goals or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Comments