Why Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Old Trafford masterplan is a tough sell for Manchester United

It was a sight that was symbolic of the decline of not only Old Trafford but of Manchester United as a club under the ownership of the Glazer family.

The notoriously leaky roof at United’s home stadium was once again on show on Sunday. Old Trafford's roof was unable to cope with the concentrated deluge of rain that occurred, turning part of the stadium into one of Britain’s tallest waterfalls for part of an evening.

But while the sight may have provided ammunition for a myriad of memes on social media, the reality of the event couldn’t be papered over by the United defence of there being an abnormal amount of rain to have hit Greater Manchester in a two-hour period. The condition of Old Trafford, one of world football’s most iconic venues, is nothing short of a disgrace.

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For all the dividends taken and the added debt burden placed upon the club, it is the complete negligence that has occurred in relation to the stadium that truly sums up the contemptuous nature of the Glazers ownership. Sights like Sunday, a time when the club is toiling on the pitch and looks a long way from competitive glory, have laid bare the sheer scale of the problem facing Sir Jim Ratcliffe following his minority stake purchase.

MEN Sport understands United have no immediate plans to fix the roofing issues. Club sources indicate it would be a multi-million-pound project with multi-year engineering work which would cause significant disruption to stadium operations along with huge operational costs.

Ratcliffe has been looking to flex his muscles to tidy up around