Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s game against Arsenal not knowing quite what to expect.
The billionaire Manchester United investor has been in attendance for several games this season, however, the team’s results have been dire.
The defeat to Arsenal was probably the most predictable aspect about the day’s events. United fans just didn’t know quite how bad the performance would be.
United’s display was not terrible in the end, but it wasn’t enough to claim a point, depressingly.
And then as the game drew to a close, something more significant happened, which served to bolster Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s most ambitious project to date.
Old Trafford roof leaks again
A torrential bout of rain put Manchester United’s creaking infrastructure to the test, and it failed miserably.
The Old Trafford roof began to leak, spectacularly so, with the stands below drenched.
MUTV live post-match broadcast even had to cut away to a pre-recorded clip while they ensured the studio was safe.
We have seen the roof leak before, it has been a problem for years, symbolising the lack of funding in infrastructure from owners the Glazers.
This was the first time it had done so on such a scale with Ratcliffe in attendance, and it will have been truly eye-opening.
Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford had arrived early, meeting politician Sir Keir Starmer, who many predict will be Britain’s next Prime Minister.
Starmer was treated to a live view of a leaking stadium, which would have normally left Ratcliffe and Ineos embarrassed, had they previously been responsible for it’s upkeep.
Avram Glazer was meanwhile at Wembley, attempting to bask in the glory of the Women’s FA Cup final win. He’s kidding nobody.
The leaky roof served to underline that Ratcliffe is right to take on the ambitious project to build a totally new stadium for Manchester United.
Ratcliffe wants new Manchester United stadium
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to build a ‘Wembley of the North’ for Manchester United, a new Old Trafford.
Leaving the current stadium behind is an emotive issue. Yet United do have the land adjacent to it to build on.
If a new stadium is not built, then large, major scale renovations are required on the current one. And it might be cheaper and logistically easier to build a new one from scratch.
Serious talks are underway over financing of a new stadium, which was a central reasoning for Starmer’s visit, per The Telegraph.
Old Trafford was once regarded as the best stadium in the country. But it is clear to see that it has fallen behind, just like the team on the pitch.
A new stadium can be a legacy left by Ratcliffe and Ineos for a brighter future for a new generation.
Ratcliffe said earlier this year: “The north west of England has a greater concentration of major football clubs than anywhere else in the world yet we don’t have a stadium on the scale of Wembley, the Nou Camp or Bernabeu.
“We will not be able to change that on our own, which is why this task force is important to help us seize this once-in-a-century opportunity.”
The timing of the downpour on Sunday served to highlight what we already know, and what Ratcliffe is fighting for – that a new stadium is the best option, and he is smart enough to have already set plans in motion.