WORK has already started on fixing Old Trafford’s leaky roof after water poured into the stands during yesterday’s loss to Arsenal.
The Gunners beat United 1-0 as Leandro Trossard’s goal returned them to top spot in their title fight with Manchester City.
Urgent work is being carried out to fix Old Trafford’s leaky roof
The roof leaked as a storm came in after Manchester United’s defeat to Arsenal
Seats next to the pitch were flooded by the rain coming in
Workers in high-vis vests were spotted abseiling up to the stadium’s roof this morning
That result left them stuck in eighth place and on course for their worst Premier League finish.
Having lost 19 games across all competitions, United is now in danger of missing out on European football entirely—the most since the 1978–79 campaign.
The most recent loss was also their ninth at home in a single season at Old Trafford, a record they share.
Rival fans have been making fun of more than just on-field problems, though, as their stadium’s “leaky” roof has long been a joke. Last month, fans also brought up the state of the aging gantry.
Furthermore, The Theatre of Dreams looked more like a Theatre of Streams on Sunday as torrential rain fell on Manchester following a storm that turned Old Trafford into a waterfall.
The problems with their ageing home were on full flow – sorry, show – just moments after the final whistle yesterday.
Water leaked through the roof and down on to seats next to the pitch as the heavens opened while the whole soggy affair was picked up by Sky Sports’ cameras.
Meanwhile, another clip that was allegedly shot in the away dressing room showed water dripping through a part of the ceiling.
That video soon went viral, with one fan responding to it by asking: “Surely this is breaking the law, this must be very unsafe, they not regarding the safety of the fans or the players, how can they host games here, it’s not like it happened overnight. Can anyone tell me is this illegal?”
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to make changes to personnel at the club, with the stadium remaining a serious concern.
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He has proposed the idea of building a new stadium, but for now United remain left with the depleted Old Trafford.
However, repair jobs seemed to be well underway first thing this morning.
In much better weather than the previous day, builders were seen abseiling up and down Old Trafford’s side to the top.
It looked as though workers wearing high-vis jackets and hard hats were evaluating the roof’s damage.
But it’s unclear if Ratcliffe, who entertained Andy Burnham at the game, was able to persuade Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of the necessity for a new stadium.
The opposition fans are currently making fun of the leaky roof, which has been known about for at least five years.
Man City supporters created the “Old Trafford is falling down” chant which now regularly reverberates from the away end.
But Ratcliffe wants to transform United’s 114-year-old home into the “Wembley of the North”.
Part of the £1.3billion investment confirmed by Ratcliffe on Christmas Eve included an approximate £237m guaranteed to be pumped into the stadium.
One option could see the 74,000-capacity Old Trafford updated, renovated and expanded – at a cost of around £800m.
But the more exciting, and considerably more expensive, option would be for a brand new stadium to be built from scratch.
A clip allegedly shot in the away dressing-room also highlighted the problems
That footage showed water coming in through the roof of the locker room
There were plenty of onlookers as the workers abseiled up the side of the stadium earlier
United have a lot more problems than just a leaky roof