Manchester United do not have any ‘immediate’ plans to fix the leaky roof at Old Trafford, according to several reports.
The club’s Glazer ownership have come under heavy fire in recent years for failing to oversee any significant renovations or upgrades to their home stadium.
One major problem concerns the roof, which has been known to leak when having to deal with heavy rainfall.
This issue became apparently late on in United’s 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal on Sunday, where a thunderstorm brought about several inches of rainfall in Manchester.
Fans in the front rows scampered away from their seats and into the gangways in order to avoid the downpour, while videos online showing water falling from the front of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand went viral.
Various reports now claim that United do not intend to provide an ‘immediate’ fix to the roof, in part due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s hopes of building a new ground on the existing Old Trafford site as opposed to renovating the current stadium.
A United source told the Manchester Evening News that Sunday’s scenes were not actually the result of a leak, but simply an overflow in the siphonic roof drainage system above the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.
The report adds that while United have explored replacing the current roof, this would be a ‘multi-million pound project’ that would be undertaken over several years and interrupt stadium operations.
United confirmed in March they had set up a special task force to explore their options regarding Old Trafford’s future.
This task force will be led by Lord Sebastian Coe and will feature input from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as well as club legend Gary Neville, who owns a hotel next to the stadium.
What we know
- Man Utd admit they have no plans to fix leaky roof at Old Trafford
- Fans experienced downpour in the stadium during Sunday’s loss to Arsenal
- The club could build a new stadium under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.