Old Trafford flooded again after Manchester United lost to Arsenal (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Following Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United on Sunday, Old Trafford was once again inundated, with the Gunners’ locker room erupting in leaks as they celebrated.
Following their loss to Arsenal, Manchester United’s away dressing room at Old Trafford overflowed, causing embarrassment.
Manchester experienced heavy rain toward the conclusion of Sunday’s Premier League match. According to United, there was more rain in the two hours following the last whistle than there was in the entire month of May 2023—1.6 inches.
A long-standing issue reappeared after that rain, with water gushing from one corner of the floor and floods seeping under the seats. Chronic underinvestment has plagued Old Trafford ever since the Glazers acquired the team in 2005.
As part of his £1.3 billion investment in United, new controlling co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has promised to spend £237 million on improvements at Old Trafford. Social media videos also imply that the issues that require attention are getting worse.
Arsena’s dressing room roof was leaking heavily, as seen in a staff member’s video. The Gunners would not have been depressed after Leandro Trossard’s first-half goal sealed a vital victory, even though the dressing room flooded.
Ratcliffe will be concerned, though, because the leaks are now affecting the dressing rooms. Thus far, his focus has been on constructing a new stadium, and Seb Coe has been assigned to head a committee investigating that possibility.
But after Sunday—Ratcliffe was present for Arsenal’s loss—that emphasis might change. He made hints back in February that he believed Old Trafford needed to be upgraded immediately.
The first topic of conversation at Manchester United is football, or the team’s on-field performance, and the second is the stadium. As of right now, there appears to be a strong case for renovating Old Trafford, which would likely cost roughly £1 billion, the speaker stated.
“You end up with a fantastic stadium that can hold between 80,000 and 90,000 people. However, it’s not an ideal world because you’re altering a stadium that is right next to a railroad track and other things of that sort. However, your conclusion is a really solid response.
“A stadium worthy of one of the biggest teams in the world is currently lacking for Manchester United. Old Trafford may have been different twenty years ago, but it’s not the same now.
It remains one of the most significant ones. But now, parts of it are a little dilapidated and unmaintained. There’s a compelling argument to be made for using a stadium to revitalize that area, much like Sebastian Coe did with that area of east London during the Olympics.
“City completed the task, and they did a pretty decent job. Because it’s more complicated and requires building over a major railway line, which is both expensive and complicated, I believe the renovation would take longer than the new one.
