Manchester United could see plans to extend the life of a car park at its training ground thwarted - thanks to concerns over the potential for a terror attack.

The Premier League giants want to extend the life of a temporary facility they brought in for contractors to use during the £50m refurbishment works at the Carrington complex by a further three years.

However, Inside Sport understands that counter terrorism cops have evaluated the proposal – and police have ‘implored’ the club to increase security measures should their plans get the green light.

United have lodged a planning application with the local council and, as part of the process, Greater Manchester Police are entitled to have their say. Given the ‘high profile nature’ of the site, they have liaised with colleagues in Counter Terrorism who have assessed the situation.

In a subsequent message to the council, they note the lack of a secure entry and exit point for visitors. In what is a strong response, police say they ‘implore the application to provide suitable secure pedestrian access’ which would ensure that every visitor to the site will be vetted. They have also warned of the prospect of ‘bad actors’ entering the site among a group of pedestrians.

And, in a move that will further increase headaches for Old Trafford bosses, the move has triggered a strong objection from locals. Action group Friends of Carrington Moss have set out their complaints over no fewer than four pages.

They say they are ‘particularly disappointed that United did not consider it necessary to consult with communities in advance of submission’ and claim that granting approval would increase car dependency in the area and is not an application for ‘sustainable development’.

The objection, which also brands United ‘shameful’ adds: ‘The applicant repeatedly states throughout its documentation that Manchester United is a world leading football club. It is clearly not world leading in sustainable operations.’ They also claim United removed two mature trees and ‘totally stripped’ other vegetation and say the car park was fully in use by March 2025 and not August, as had been suggested in planning application documentation.

Manchester United have been contacted for comment.

Jet-setting Gianni fights to hold onto power

When it comes to saving your skin, it would appear that saving the planet takes a back seat. Flight logs seen by Inside Sport show that embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino, fighting for his highly lucrative job, is clocking up the air miles at a staggering rate of knots as he travels the world in an attempt to drum up support.

On Friday, his luxurious private jet – provided by FIFA sponsors Qatar Airways – left Doha for Rabat, where Infantino recently and infamously summoned officials for crisis talks. It then headed from Morocco to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, where Infantino defied a request from one of his vice presidents to stay away from an Under 14 tournament in Punta Cana.

Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of CONCACAF who many see as a potential successor, had asked the Swiss supremo not to visit amid concerns his presence would be a distraction from the event itself. Under Infantino, FIFA provides the Caribbean Football Union with up to $5m from each four-year cycle and he may well have used the trip to remind officials of that point at a president’s meeting.

The following day, the same jet headed from Punta Cana to Paris. That is a total of around 11,800 miles at an estimated cost likely to run into the hundreds of thousands.

'The Rest is F*** All'

There was huge noise earlier this year around Gary Lineker and his The Rest Is Football podcast after it signed a staggering deal with Netflix worth a reported £14m to produce a daily show throughout the World Cup. That deal has been extended for the next two seasons, with a promise of focus on the Premier League and Champions League in twice-weekly episodes from August.

However, the top flight’s big kick off came and went without as much as a peep, let alone a preview, leading some to joke about the longest World Cup holiday in the industry. Indeed, one insider mused: ‘It’s been noticeable on social media that nobody seems to be questioning where they are or demanding a new episode. The Rest Is Football? More like The Rest is F*** All.’

Spurs fan Kay-Jelski turns to North Londoners

Much has been said and written about changes to Match of the Day under BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski. It has also not gone unnoticed that three of the four new arrivals – Robbie Keane, Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Frank have either played for or managed Kay-Jelski’s beloved Spurs, with some joking that we may be witnessing the boss’s ‘Tottenhamification’ of the iconic Saturday-night show.

EFL clubs stand firm on VAR

Do not expect to see VAR at EFL matches in the near future. Clubs have been spoken to about bringing the technology in for league games and have overwhelmingly decided to leave it to the play-off finals and Carabao Cup final (and all Premier League semis) with ‘significant opposition’ lodged. Football Video Support (FVS) has triggered a similar response, with an ‘overwhelming majority’ raising concerns over the FIFA-approved system which allows coaches a set number of ‘challenges’ to request a review of game-changing incidents.

Do expect an offer from Premier League clubs aimed at ending the deadlock over financial distribution to land across the EFL in the near future.