INEOS have certainly rocked the boat with a recent change implemented at Manchester United, which has left supporters outraged.
As per The Guardian, the United women’s team will be cast into the shadow of Carrington’s portable buildings next season to allow the men’s first-team to take over their indoor training space and have ‘priority access’ to the facilities.
It comes after confirmation that a £50 million investment got underway on Monday in the men’s first-team building. Expected to last for the entirety of the 2024/2025 term, the women’s squad will therefore occupy the portacabins for the year.
INEOS’ training complex revamp aims to ‘deliver a world-class football facility with a positive culture to support future success’.
United Women left feeling aggrieved
Tom Garry’s report adds that a source close to Marc Skinner’s side, who won their first-ever major trophy in the form of the FA Cup last season, claims the decision ‘added to a growing sense that the women’s team are not perceived as a priority within the club’.
You can’t blame the players or fans for thinking so, either. Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently admitted that there were currently no plans in place to aid the women’s development since he took the reins at Old Trafford.
“We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first-team issues in that environment, and that’s been pretty full-time for the first six months,” the co-owner confessed.
Expectedly, such admissions haven’t been taken too kindly by the United faithful. One Red took to X (Twitter) following tonight’s update to say that INEOS’ track record thus far ‘isn’t a good look’.
Didn’t show up for the cup final, said they were focusing on the ‘first team’ when asked about plans for United women and now pushing women’s team aside to makeshift buildings so men’s team can use their facilities. Whatever your opinion is this isn’t a good look by INEOS.
— Annemarie Dray (@AnnemarieDray) June 25, 2024