Ex-Everton and Sheffield United defender labels Kenilworth Road as one of the 'worst stadiums in the world'

Ex-Sheffield United and Everton defender Phil Jagielka has bizarrely labelled Kenilworth Road as one of the ‘worst stadiums in the world’ and declared it isn’t even fit for League One level.

The 41-year-old last played at the ground in February 2023 as part of a Stoke City team who were beaten 1-0 in the Championship, also turning out on two other occasions, when at Everton in 2007 and Sheffield United in 2006. After winning promotion back in May, the Hatters invested around £13m in order to get their 118-year-old home up to Premier League standard, building an entire new stand and press gantry, while also making a number of other changes to their infrastructure, something that Jagielka clearly hadn’t been aware of.

Although it has received nothing but praise from those lucky enough to attend a top flight match in Bedfordshire this term, it appears for some reason the former centre half is clearly not a fan himself, also stating that should Town stay up, they will need to move out, seemingly oblivious to the club’s application to build a new stadium at Power Court, for which they received planning permission in January 2019, with the Hatters hoping to start ‘moving earth’ on the site in the coming months.

Speaking to BBC Five Live Sport, Jagielka said: “The stadium is an amazing atmosphere, but it is literally a throwback. The changing rooms, I'm not sure what they’ve been able to do over the summer but it’s probably not ready for League One, let alone the Premier League. They had to use these things to upset people, it’s like a cup tie every time you go there, especially for the bigger teams and for me it was amusing that they only game they’ve probably been favourites, they lost and that’s why playing against the Premier League is so good.

"It’s not playing against your Liverpools, your Arsenals, your Man Us, they’re the games that if you get a result it’s fantastic for teams like Luton, Sheff U down there. I think Luton are learning week in week out, basically it doesn’t really matter who it is, they need to play at 100 percent full throttle. It will be sad as if they do stay in the Premier League, I imagine they’ll have to move out of there so it’s a strange one.

"It’s like historically and football-wise you want to see these old grounds but what will happen is they’ll have to build a new one, it will be the same as everyone else's new one, so it won’t be in someone’s back garden, you won’t have to walk though someone ginnel to get in like they do now. But for me that’s what makes football so special. They’re playing in the best league in the world and let’s be honest they’re probably in one of the worst stadiums in the world, but they’re doing a fantastic job and fair play to them.”