Andreas Pereira has taken a swipe at Manchester United’s training facilities in an interview since joining Palmeiras, with Cristiano Ronaldo having also criticised them in the past
Former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has slammed the club’s facilities (Image: Getty Images)
Former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has compared the club’s training facilities to those at his current team Palmeiras – and found them wanting. The Brazilian, who recently moved from Fulham to Palmeiras, has been impressed by the state-of-the-art facilities at his new employers.
Pereira joined United’s youth team at 16 and made 75 appearances for the first team, scoring four goals before moving to Fulham in 2022. As a result, the 29-year-old never had the chance to use the club’s newly-opened £50million training centre at Carrington.
Now playing at Palmeiras’ Football Academy, a 48,000 square-metre centre equipped with top-notch facilities and backed by the Sao Paulo city government, Pereira has described the facilities as ‘elite’, contrasting them with his experience in Manchester.
United will be hoping that their new training ground can inspire better performances under Ruben Amorim and help them avoid any further criticism. Their delay in upgrading their facilities has left them open to criticism this time around.
“Compared to what’s out there, it’s the elite of football,” Pereira, 29, told ESPN Brasil about Palmeiras’ training centre. “Few clubs have the structure Palmeiras has. I’ve worked for several big clubs in Europe, and I can say that Palmeiras has the best structure I’ve ever worked in. Better than Manchester United when I was there.”
Manchester United’s Carrington training complex enjoyed a £50million revamp this year(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
United’s training facility faced heavy criticism before its recent overhaul. Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan exposed the state of Carrington.
The Portuguese superstar revealed that virtually nothing had been updated during his time away from the club. Ronaldo departed United in 2009 before making his return in 2021.
“Nothing changed, surprisingly,” the forward declared before his contentious United departure in 2022. “Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. Even the kitchen, the chefs, whom I appreciate – lovely people. They stopped in time. It surprised me a lot.
“I thought I would see other things, technologies and infrastructure. Unfortunately, we see a lot of what I used to see at 21, 22 and 23 years old. It really surprised me. Since Ferguson left, I haven’t seen an evolution at the club.
“Progress is zero. You have to tear it down and rebuild it.”
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