Gaelic football team, Armagh, were left bewildered after arriving at a training camp to discover the facilities had been rearranged to prepare for Manchester United’s eagerly anticipated visit.
Excitement is building in the Republic of Ireland ahead of Manchester United’s four-day training camp next week.
That is, unless you are associated with Armagh GAA.
United are tackling a 24-day gap between games by opting for a change of scenery, away from Carrington, to help Michael Carrick’s team prepare for the Premier League run-in with hopes of Champions League qualification.
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Man Utd preparations lead to Armagh GAA abandoning hotel visit
When it was announced that United are travelling to Ireland for an intense four-day training camp, the location was kept hidden.
A report from The Athletic outlined that United’s training base would be located approximately 30 minutes from Dublin city.
However, a report surfaced on The Irish News that outlines how Armagh abandoned a training camp at Carton House in Kildare after arriving on Friday to find the pitches at the hotel had already been prepared for United’s upcoming visit instead.
Armagh GAA booked the five-star hotel for their camp several weeks in advance, but Carton House did not inform them of pitch alterations. It is also understood that they have used the facilities regularly in the past.
A request to re-line the pitches to fit the requirements of any inter-country GAA side was declined, even though the players in question offered to carry out the work themselves.
Armagh reluctantly decided to abandon their camp without staying, as the team returned home on Friday evening.
United are due to arrive at Carton House on Monday, April 6.
In other news, United will face Leeds United at Croke Park in August. It will be the first time the headquarters of the GAA will host Premier League clubs.
Man Utd’s secret is out
United intended to keep the location of their training base in Ireland under wraps for security reasons.
The priority will be for United’s first team to prepare for the upcoming games in the best environment possible.
That perhaps explains why United are unlikely to plan any fan events around the training camp.
It also means Carton House are going to need to set up some sort of arrangements for security now that the secret is out, all thanks to a scoop that focused on Armagh being upset with the plush hotel.
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