Red Devils looking to raise roof
BY MANCHESTER UNITED are finally fixing their leaky roof at Old Trafford.
But fans in the offending South Stand still risk a soaking this winter, with the club unable to begin major work on the issue until the end of the season.
It is believed United officials and their building partners have held talks with the railway company who operate the rail track behind the South or ‘Sir Bobby Charlton Stand’ which has long-running roof problems.
But the tricky work cannot occur while Old Trafford is staging matches, as specialist cranes are needed.
That could mean some disruption to the Southern route of the Manchester-to -Liverpool line that runs behind the stand
United hope to reach an agreement with Northern Rail over the timing of the works this summer.
New £1.25billion investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe is determined to improve the match-day experience for fans at Old Trafford, which, with a 76,000 capacity is still the Premier League’s biggest stadium.
Ratcliffe is believed to have pledged up to £245million towards infrastructure work and improvements at Old Trafford and the Carrington training centre.
And it is thought talks are on the agenda over plans for either a largescale refurbishment of the current stadium or financing options for a new arena, which would include the potentially huge sale of naming rights.
As yet, Ratcliffe’s full vision for the immediate, medium and long-term future of United remains uncertain.
But, after years of silence and disregard for United’s fan base by the controlling Glazer family – who bought the club for £790m in 2005 – it is understood that Ratcliffe, himself a life-long fan, wants to build a better dialogue and a firmer relationship with the United supporters.