Workers in hard hats and high-vis jackets were snapped abseiling up and down Old Trafford less than 24 hours after water was seen cascading from the roof.
Manchester United insist they were there to carry out pre-planned maintenance of a section of the stadium, which was battered by a thunderous downpour shortly after full-time following the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal.
During the closing stages of the game, a fierce thunderstorm swamped the 114-year-old stadium, where water could be seen pouring from one corners of the ground.
Videos on social media showed a flood pouring under seats and even where the players’ tunnel meets the dressing-rooms.
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.
Another embarrassing clip showed rain leaking into the away dressing room at Old Trafford after the game.
But United insisted the workers were there to paint a section of the facia boards that adorn the outside of the stadium.
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.
Coe is head of the taskforce driving plans to regenerate the stadium and surrounding areas.
United are backing Ratcliffe’s vision to bulldoze Old Trafford and build a ‘Wembley of the North’ at a cost of up to £2billion, but will consider renovating the existing stadium if it is not feasible.
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.
While rival fans delight in singing that ‘Old Trafford is falling down’, United supporters point to the wretched state of the stadium as a symbol of neglect by the Glazer family during 19 years in power.
‘Absolutely 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.
It isn’t the first time the roof at Old Trafford has suffered a major leak.
Numerous times over the years, the roof of the stadium has struggled to keep supporters dry, which has led to Ratcliffe making it one of his main focuses in regenerating the club.
It has also become a major issue and a stick to beat the Glazer family with, having been accused of a lack of funding over the years.
The question of what United can do to solve their stadium crisis was discussed on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off Podcast on Monday, with co-host Ian Ladyman suggesting the club could look to move to London while they carry out a major overhaul.
‘I think they should tear Old Trafford down, play at Wembley for two years, build a new one,’ he said.
‘There are other people who think that can never happen and they need to rebuild it and modernise it.’
