Ineos moving rapidly as work on iconic part of Old Trafford completed, it’s just the beginning

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The six to seven months under Ineos have been a series of promises and those promises being backed up by actions afterwards.

It is a departure from the Glazer era, where there was nearly zero communication, and apathy and ignorance ruled the roost.

One of the biggest promises made by Ineos was that Old Trafford would get the attention and redevelopment it has needed for a long time.

Despite being one of English football’s most prestigious and illustrious institutions, the Glazers had left it to rot and did the bare minimum to keep it functioning.

Ineos have made it their priority and while the long-term future of the stadium is a massive undertaking, they are leaving no stone unturned into making “marginal gains” on the current one, as Sir Dave Brailsford would put it.

First step completed

Old Trafford is an iconic venue due to the weight of history and legacy it holds. For any player, walking out of the tunnel when the nearly 75k crowd cheering on, and the United anthem belting out is a goosebump-inducing feeling.

The tunnel is arguably the most memorable part of that experience and a key selling point to tourists as well as to new signings.

Ineos recognised this and made the redevelopment of the tunnel their major focus. It was a smaller-scale undertaking with a potentially big payoff in creating a high-performance atmosphere.

Manchester Evening News reports that the tunnel redevelopment project has been completed quickly, barely over a month since the announcement was made.

Among the changes, the most noticeable one is the installation of flashy white lights on the ceiling which has also been painted black to hide the previously exposed ducts there.

Both sides have been painted red to create an intimidating aura. Previously, one of the walls was painted wide, with the club badge adorning the walls on both sides. Those have been taken down for a more slick and simple look with a modern touch.

Long road ahead

This completes the first step but there are many other works going on at Old Trafford at the moment. The executive area in Stretford End is being replaced by general admission section.

This will improve the atmosphere in the iconic end about which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer famously said “sucks the ball in for you” due to its raucous fans.

Some roof work has been done to fix the infamously leaky roof but that will take more than a bandage to sort out.

Still, these are promising signs that Ineos are not resting on their laurels and waiting for a decision to be made on the stadium’s future before spending money on refurbishment.

They have been all about making slight improvements and tweaks in every department to optimise the operations, hoping it all adds up to make a big difference eventually.

That is in line with Sir Dave Brailsford’s “marginal gains” philosophy. With this tunnel development project completed so quickly, it is off to a good start.