It never rains but it pours for Manchester United as the storm exposes the problems at Old Trafford

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Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was reminded of the problems facing a deteriorating Old Trafford as a storm raged around the ground on Sunday.

The Red Devils are looking at options to redevelop the current site or build a new one on adjacent club-owned land, with the first option expected to cost around £1 billion and a new stadium requiring an outlay of £2 billion.

Ratcliffe is in favor of a new ground and had a first-hand look at the problems at United’s current home after a storm broke out towards the end of Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Water was leaking from the corner of the roof between the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the East Stand, cascading down onto the seats below.

In the opposite corner, water ran down the steps of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and flooded the ditch around the pitch.

A video on social media appeared to show pipes burst above that area, and other images showed other problems around the ground, including in the tunnel area.

The PA news agency understands that senior figures met to discuss the issues shortly after the match.

United did not comment on the problems but said 41mm of rain fell in the two hours after the final whistle. In contrast, 29mm fell on Old Trafford throughout last May.

Earlier on Sunday, co-owner Ratcliffe met Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer to discuss the redevelopment of Old Trafford.

PA understands Starmer attended the game as a guest of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who is a member of the taskforce exploring options to revitalize United’s home ground.

Burnham was also present at the pre-launch talks, along with Lord Coe, who is chairman of the Old Trafford Regeneration Taskforce.

The task force, which also includes former United captain Gary Neville, met for the first time last month as Ratcliffe look to create a world-class stadium by either redeveloping Old Trafford or building a new ground on the adjacent ground owned by the Premier League club.

The stadium is the focal point of the project, which aims to regenerate the wider Trafford Park area.

Discussions with Arsenal fan Starmer are understood to have been part of ongoing engagement with political leaders at local, regional and national level as options for the project are explored.