Erik ten Hag had request granted for bespoke player pre-match suite at Old Trafford

Erik ten Hag had his request granted for a bespoke player pre-match suite to be created at Old Trafford after Manchester United refused similar proposals from the manager’s predecessors José Mourinho and Louis van Gaal.

The facility was signed off by United’s chief operating officer Collette Roche after Ten Hag said it would help match-day preparation. Converting the prime hospitality space in the stadium’s south stand will cost millions in lost revenue but the club will recoup some finance by no longer having to pay for The Lowry hotel to be its pre-match base.

Ten Hag believed having his team assemble at the city centre venue before driving to Old Trafford was time-consuming and made it more difficult to monitor players’ diet and build team spirit.

Old Trafford’s No 7 suite has at times been used for the pre-game meal but because this is a hospitality area it had to be cleared about 90 minutes before kick-off.

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Van Gaal, who managed United from 2014-16, and his successor Mourinho each asked for a lounge but were refused. Ten Hag got his way, it is understood, because of a renewed “football first” focus under the chief executive Richard Arnold.

The suite, which will be open for United’s first game of the season against Wolves on Monday, has taken about 12 months to be ready because of a reconfiguration of the area in which it is situated.

Roy Keane has renewed his official link with United after 18 years by featuring in an advert for the new season’s third kit. The Irishman ended a glittering 12-year playing career at the club in 2005 after a row with Sir Alex Ferguson regarding an interview he gave to MUTV, the in-house channel, in which team-mates were reportedly criticised.

The ad features Keane at Old Trafford and ends with him joking about his “prawn sandwiches” jibe in 2000. Then, as United’s captain, he was scathing about a section of the home fans who he said had a “few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches” and were unfairly critical of the team.