Cristiano Ronaldo demands changes at Manchester United's training ground

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has demanded some changes to the training facilities at the Premier League club.

The Portuguese forward was not impressed with the state of Carrington when he returned to the club at the beginning of the 2021/22 season, particularly the swimming pool.

The former Real Madrid star rejoined United last summer and ended the season as the top scorer, despite an overall disappointing campaign.

According to the Daily Mirror, Ronaldo's main complaint was that the swimming pools at Carrington were not even close to the standard expected at a club the size of Manchester United.

There are reportedly "loose, chipped and missing tiles" within the pools, which is a clear safety hazard. He has since refused to use them.

Ronaldo has made sure he has access to a swimming pool at home as he seeks to maintain his performance level as far into his career as possible.

The criticisms have been taken on board by the club and repairs have been ordered to be completed before the start of pre-season, a move that new coach Erik ten Hag will surely agree with.

Cost of improvements

A new boiler system worth 200,000 pounds is also being implemented by United, as there were serious issues with hot and cold water during the winter months.

It has been widely reported for a few years now that, under the ownership of the Glazer family, little to no money has been spent on the training facilities in comparison to other big clubs in the division.

Recent failures on the pitch as well as fan protests and player pressure appears to have led the club to start spending as new floodlights and a 500-seater stand is also being built at Carrington in the near future.

"Longer term, we are looking at fuller redevelopment plans for Carrington to ensure it will be a state-of-the-art, fully integrated facility for our men's, women's and academy groups," said Collette Roche, Chief Operating Officer, last year.

"Significant, game-changing investment will be made into our training facilities to take Carrington to the next level once again."