The decrepit state of Old Trafford was laid bare as Manchester United sprang a leak on and off the pitch.<br /><br />As United sank to a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, who kept up their title challenge on reigning champions Manchester City, a fierce thunderstorm swamped the 114-year-old stadium.<br /><br />Water could be seen cascading from one corner of the ground while videos on social media showed a flood pouring under seats and even where the players’ tunnel meets the dressing rooms.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Coe is head of the task force driving plans to regenerate the stadium and surrounding areas.<br /><br />United is backing Ratcliffe’s vision to bulldoze Old Trafford and build a ‘Wembley of the North’ at a cost of up to £ 2 billion but will consider renovating the existing stadium if it is not feasible.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />While rival fans delight in singing that ‘Old Trafford is falling’, United supporters point to the wretched state of the stadium as a symbol of neglect by the Glazer family during 19 years in power. <br /><br />'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.<br /><br />Another wrote: 'United fans deserve better!! Fix the fu..n roof!!!' A third said: 'Clubs rotten in every single aspect.'<br /><br />'They still haven’t fixed the roof?? sorry to the people sat right under the hole in the ceiling,' said another.<br /><br />Co-chairman Avram Glazer was 200 miles away from Old Trafford in the Royal Box at Wembley as United’s women’s team beat Tottenham to lift the FA Cup. <br /><br />Ratcliffe sent a good luck message to coach Marc Skinner and the players in the morning and posted his congratulations on social media.
