United stuck with leaky roof for now

MANCHESTER UNITED are stuck with their leaky roof until the club decide between bulldozing Old Trafford or redeveloping the stadium. Torrents of water cascaded on to the pitch and seating areas, and even flooded the away dressing room, when a thunderstorm hit at the end of Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Arsenal. The roof has been a symbol of the Glazer family’s neglect for many years and the problem is set to continue until a taskforce set up by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe decides on how to regenerate Old Trafford. United have drawn up plans to replace the roof on the ageing Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and fix it in other areas of the ground. However, they are unlikely to spend millions of pounds and several years on the project when the whole stadium could be knocked down and rebuilt for £2billion.

In addition, the logistics of installing cranes over the railway line at the back of that stand means the work cannot be done without severely restricting match-day attendances. United admit ‘sporadic leaks’ exist in the roof but insist the flooding in Old Trafford was caused by an overflowing drainage system that could not deal with more than a month’s worth of rain falling inside two hours. The club reassured fans tomorrow’s game against Newcastle would not be affected.