Sheffield United will be forced to delay training ground overhaul

Officials at Bramall Lane, which had also been scheduled to undergo a series of refurbishments over the coming months, granted permission for the work to begin later this year after consulting with manager Chris Wilder and his coaching staff.

But with the Government calling a halt to all non-essential work and introducing social distancing measures in order to try and limit the spread of the respiratory disease, those projects have been temporarily put on hold until the health crisis eases.

Wilder has made no secret of his desire to improve United’s training complex since guiding the club back into the top-flight for the first time since 2007, describing it in one recent interview as “spit and sawdust.”

A state of the art site when it was first opened nearly two decades ago, rapid developments in the fields of sports science, conditioning and medicine have left it lagging behind the overwhelming majority of centres used by other teams across the division.

Although Wilder concedes United can not presently afford to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, whose teams all enjoy access to multiple pitches, hydrotherapy pools and modern gymnasiums, he began petitioning HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to make a series of changes to the centre in Shirecliffe when the Saudi Arabian was unveiled as the club’s new owner six months ago.

Insisting his desire to overhaul it stems from ambition rather than embarrassment, Wilder admitted: “In terms of the intensity of the Premier League and recovery being key, and video analysis going through the roof, these are things we need to keep pace with and unfortunately at this moment we're struggling to hang onto the coat-tails of teams spending the numbers they are on training facilities.”

The first phase of redevelopment is believed to have focused on remedial and cosmetic works, with several semi-permanent structures thought to be earmarked for construction subject to the relevant permissions being granted.

However, as The Star first revealed, United are also known to be investigating the possibility of demolishing the building which houses the senior players dressing room and recreational facilities, as well as several offices used by members of the footballing department, and replacing it with a new purpose built suite.

Intensely proud of United’s fitness record, Wilder has told the board of directors it will give his conditioners the best possible chance of ensuring this continues. He also suspects it will enable him to compete for more high-calibre targets in the transfer market, as head of recruitment Paul Mitchell begins to expand United’s horizons following their climb to seventh in the table before the fixture schedule ground to a halt.

Later this week, PL clubs are expected to announce competition will not resume on April 30 as planned.