Man United’s farcical pre-season tour in China became a lot more ridiculous after it was announced that their clash against Man City, which was scheduled to take place today, has been officially called off.
According to United’s official announcement, the match was called off due to weather concerns – which comes as no surprise, judging by the torrential rain that has been bogging parts of China over the last one week.
Due to recent weather events, tournament organisers & participating clubs have decided to cancel tonight's International Champions Cup game.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 25, 2016
Today's friendly with Manchester United has been cancelled. More: https://t.co/zmob4TVFTf #mcfc #cityontour pic.twitter.com/MJKq1zxGdn
— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 25, 2016
While it’s evident that pre-season tours are mainly a marketing gimmick for European sides, Jose Mourinho was actually looking forward to getting some tangible work done with his players.
But his plans have been hit with a barrage of issues, since their arrival in China. Firstly, Mourinho has had to contend with his players taking part in plenty of commercial activities, as opposed to having them fully focus on training and preparations.
Secondly, the pitch conditions in China have been abysmal, prompting Mourinho to unleash bitter comments on it, during a press conference over the weekend. In fact, he claimed that he was already looking forward to leaving China with his players safe and fit.
It now looks like his wish has been granted as United are likely to leave Beijing and head to Sweden, where they are scheduled to face Galatasaray, before flying back to Manchester.
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