Shocking footage shows rainwater gushing through the roof of the ailing Old Trafford

Manchester United fans today described their exasperation at the state of Old Trafford after the final whistle of their defeat to Arsenal – with videos showing rainwater gushing through the roof and spilling onto the terraces.

In the Stretford End, some fans perched on seat rails to avoid getting their feet wet during the deluge that started towards the end of the Premier League match at the Theater of Dreams.

In fact, Old Trafford’s roof has been leaking for ten years, but videos of flooding gushing into the stands have once again underlined just how dilapidated this once proud stadium has become.

READ MORE: Hour-by-hour weather forecast for Greater Manchester while the Met Office thunderstorm warning is in place

Lifetime Red Jason McKay, a 54-year-old season ticket holder from Salford, sent Manchester Evening News video of rainwater pouring onto the Stretford End, with fans doing their best to stay dry.

He blamed the Glazer family, the club’s majority owners, and said: “The decay is evident again… 18 years of total neglect, the owners should be ashamed of themselves for all the money they have taken out of the club our. But all of us. to know they don’t care.”

It’s a problem the club’s new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has acknowledged as he trumpets ambitious plans to either redevelop or completely rebuild Old Trafford.

In April 2022, United hired Populous, the architects behind Tottenham’s new ground, to present proposals for an expanded Old Trafford, and Ratcliffe has stepped up exploratory plans since officially acquiring a minority stake from the Glazer family.

The MEN reported in February that United could rebuild Old Trafford without moving temporarily and have been told that is the best option, but some fans prefer a refurbishment.

It is believed that a new United stadium could be built on the ground behind the Stretford End while Old Trafford is still in use and that would bring a greater return on investment.

It was previously announced that a task force had been set up to regenerate Old Trafford and its surrounding grounds and that it would be chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe. Former United captain Gary Neville was appointed to the commission, along with Manchester Mayor Burnham and Sara Todd, chief executive of Trafford Council, and the group was set up to explore all options but closely examine the feasibility of a new building and of a wider regeneration.

Manchester United declined to comment following the latest problems, but officials point out that parts of the stadium struggled to cope as an inch of rain fell in just one hour and 1.6 inches in two hours after the final whistle. All supporters are said to have left safely as the clean-up operation continues inside the soggy stadium this evening.