Man United to overhaul Carrington training ground this summer as Sir Dave Brailsford plans new warm-up area, reconfigured players' car park and a winter garden

Manchester United are to carry out a major overhaul of Carrington this summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team seek to transform the club’s fortunes.

Mail Sport understands that substantial works are planned at the training ground, with the marginal gains fingerprints of sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford clear to see.

At the centre of the multi-million pound redevelopment will be a new ‘pre-activation and player performance’ zone.

United have suffered horrendously with injuries for some time and the hope is that the new warm-up area will help lower the risks of players picking up costly knocks.

The plans will also see a huge increase in the amount of natural light that pours into the building thanks to a series of giant new windows around the exterior, along with more modern, open plan office spaces as United’s new execs attempt to plot a return to the top.

Such is the focus on providing an optimum environment for the first team, the club’s laundry operation will move to a new extension at a nearby building to ensure the focus within the walls is purely on football.

While officials have kept tight-lipped on costs, the budget for the project is thought to be in the multiple millions as Ratcliffe and his team use the off-season to accelerate change.

Pre-activation usually involves a series of exercises, often with the use of resistance bands and foam rollers. The aim is to increase blood flow to muscles through activities such as skipping and jogging.

Players will also take part in dynamic mobility exercises, such as lunges, which open up areas such as the knees and hips to aid rotation and carry out a series of stretching routines. A specialised space may well play a key role on a daily basis.

The existing players’ car park will be reconfigured to make space for the area, which is one of a number of enhancements which officials believe will help create an ‘elite environment that promotes elite performance’.

A landscaping project will also take place, to screen the area from prying eyes.

The wide-scale work also includes the building of a winter garden, which will provide a ‘year-round amenity space’ and afford protection from the notorious Manchester climate. Currently, a series of balconies are used for meetings and gatherings but are only a realistic option in the warmer months.

Elsewhere, United want to bring in 247 extra square metres of first-floor office space and a number of additional canopies, while an extra layby will be introduced next to the medical centre for ambulance use in the event of an emergency.

The club have gone on a hiring spree as they seek to restructure, with Newcastle director of football Dan Ashworth expected to arrive when an agreement can be reached with his club. Jason Wilcox has also arrived from Southampton as technical director.

One of the aims of the refurb is to provide more natural light to the ground floor of the building and views of the outside world, with extensions to existing levels of glazing creating a more modern feel.

Insiders have disclosed a view that Carrington, which opened under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999, has fallen behind United’s major rivals at elite level and that the works are aimed at addressing that shortfall.

Many of the amendments are out of the marginal gains playbook, which Brailsford used to great success in previous roles in the cycling world. The belief is that a series of smaller details will help create an optimum environment which will allow athletes, such as United’s players, to flourish.

This season United have endured more than 60 separate injuries to players with 24 first-teamers affected at some stage.

In previous years work carried out at Carrington has centred on the club’s academy and women sides. Since the arrival of Ratcliffe and Ineos at the turn of the year, focus on assisting the first-team has stepped up considerably.

After completing their purchase of 25 per cent of the club, they agreed to inject a much-needed £245m to improve infrastructure.