Workers abseil down Old Trafford as they make pressing repairs
- Old Trafford roof suffered a major leak during Man United’s defeat by Arsenal
- Less than 24 hours later, workers were seen making repairs to the stadium’s roof
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Urgent repairs to fix Old Trafford’s decrepit roof are underway – less than 24 hours after heavy rain cascaded through one of the stands during Manchester United‘s defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.
Workers in hard hats and high-vis jackets were snapped abseiling up and down the side of the iconic stadium on Monday morning as they assessed the damage up on the roof.
The urgent works will follow what was a disappointing defeat for United, who sank to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, who kept up their title challenge on reigning champions Manchester City.
During the closing stages of the game, a fierce thunderstorm swamped the 114-year-old stadium, where water could be seen cascading from one corners of the ground while videos on social media showed a flood pouring under seats and even where the players’ tunnel meets the dressing-rooms.
United said that 1.6 inches of rain fell in two hours after the final whistle – more than in the entire month of May last year – but supporters of both clubs left the stadium safely.
Urgent repairs to fix Old Trafford’s leaky roof are underway following Sunday’s thunderstorm
Workers in hard hats and high-vis jackets were snapped abseiling up and down the side of the iconic stadium on Monday
Onlookers were shocked as rain water rushed through Old Trafford’s leaky roof on Sunday
Another embarrassing clip showed rain leaking into the away dressing room at Old Trafford after the game,
The deluge coincided with a visit from Labour Party leader and Arsenal season-ticket fan Sir Keir Starmer as a guest of Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who met with Lord Coe and United’s minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe beforehand to discuss the future of Old Trafford.
Coe is head of the taskforce driving plans to regenerate the stadium and surrounding areas.
United are backing Ratcliffe’s vision to bulldoze Old Trafford and build a ‘Wembley of the North’ at a cost of up to £2billion, but will consider renovating the existing stadium if it is not feasible.
Ratcliffe pledged £237million to upgrade Old Trafford as part of his £1.3bn investment in United, but Sunday’s flood was a reminder that plenty more will be needed to plug the gaps.
While rival fans delight in singing that ‘Old Trafford is falling down’, United supporters point to the wretched state of the stadium as a symbol of neglect by the Glazer family during 19 years in power.
‘Absolutely embarrassing, sums up the neglect the Glazers have shown towards the upkeep and maintenance of Old Trafford and Carrington,’ one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans were made to quickly vacate the affected areas as a thunderstorms began towards the close of their 1-0 defeat by Arsenal
Old Trafford was quickly flooded with water after a thunderstorm exposed the issues with Old Trafford’s roof
Man United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe (middle) was in attendance for the clash. He has promised to invest in improving the stadium
It isn’t the first time the roof at Old Trafford has suffered a major leak.
Numerous times over the years, the roof of the stadium has struggled to keep supporters dry, which has led to Ratcliffe making it one of his main focuses in regenerating the club.
It has also become a major issue and a stick to beat the Glazer family with, having been accused of a lack of funding over the years.
