Storm brings waterfall at Old Trafford as Manchester United's new co-owner meets Sir Keir Starmer

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Water pouring into the stands at Old Trafford Credit: PA images

Manchester United's new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was given a first hand glimpse of the issues facing Old Trafford as a storm wreaked havoc on the ground.

Water poured from the corner of the roof between the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and East Stand, funnelling down like a waterfall onto the seats beneath as a downpour hit the city.

In the opposite corner, water raced down the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand steps and flooded the moat around the pitch.

United as 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 in the region of £1 billion.

A new stadium would require a £2billion outlay.

Sir Jim gained the insight into the deteriorating stadium as he watched United's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday 12 May.

Labour leader Sit Keir Starmer was also at the ground, believed to have been a guest of Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who is a member of the task force exploring options for how to revitalise United’s home ground.

Burnham was also present at the talks ahead of kick-off along with Lord Coe, chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force.

Council 'looking forward' to working with United on stadium plan
The pitch was left waterlogged Credit: PA

A video posted on social media video appeared to show pipes had broken above that area and other footage highlighted other problems around the ground, including in thetunnel area.

It is understood senior figures met to discuss the issues shortly after the match.

United have not commented on the problems but said 41mm of rain fell in the two hours after the final whistle.

By contrast, 29mm fell on Old Trafford in the whole of May 2023.

The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which also includes former United captain Gary Neville, met for the first time in April as Ratcliffe looks to create a world-class stadium by either redeveloping Old Trafford or constructing a new ground on adjacent land owned by the Premier League club.

The stadium is the focal point of the project, which is looking to regenerate the wider Trafford Park area.It is understood the discussions with Arsenal fan Starmer were part of ongoing engagement with political leaders on a local, regional and national level as options for the project are explored.