Workers were seen abseiling and climbing ladders around Old Trafford on Monday, but Manchester United officials confirmed they were carrying out routine maintenance and painting steel girders, rather than addressing any specific damage from the previous day's storm.
A severe thunderstorm struck the stadium five minutes before the end of Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, causing water to pour through the notorious leaky roof. Groundstaff recorded 42mm of rain in two hours at the storm's peak—compared to 29mm during the whole of May last year. Videos on social media showed water cascading down steps and forming waterfalls from drainpipes.
The leaks occurred on a day when Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and Lord Sebastian Coe hosted Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to lobby for public funding for a larger redevelopment of the Trafford Park area, including a potential new stadium. Ratcliffe said in February that building a new world-class “stadium of the north” would cost around £2 billion, compared to £1 billion for a refurbishment, including a campus upgrade.
Club sources said the clean-up had been completed by Monday, including in the away dressing room, and that the leaks would not affect Wednesday's Premier League fixture against Newcastle United. The stadium operated normally on Monday, welcoming more than 700 visitors for museum and tour groups from 10am.
