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11/22/2024 03:35:42 am

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China Football: Manchester United reaches home safely from China amidst storm threat; Zlatan Ibrahimović ready to join team this week

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho in a training session during their recent China pre-season tour

(Photo : Getty Images) Manchester United reached home safely from their spoiled pre-season tour in China which was threatened by a storm that caused the cancellation of their would-have-been historic derby with Manchester City in the country’s capital city of Beijing on Monday.

English Premier League team Manchester United reached home safely from their spoiled pre-season tour in China which was threatened by a storm that caused the cancellation of their would-have-been historic derby with Manchester City in the country's capital city of Beijing on Monday.

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United arrived in China on July 20 for a whole week visit in the Far East Asian nation that is scheduled to feature them in friendly matches under the 2016 International Champions Cup tournament against Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and cross-city rivals Manchester City.

Their game versus the Borussians took place on July 22, with Dortmund pulling off a comfortable 4-1 victory at the Shanghai Stadium and former BVB player Henrikh Mkhitaryan providing the lone goal for new manager Jose Mourinho's side.

Mourinho admitted that Dortmund is "far more advanced" than his squad during the ongoing pre-season as the "heat and humidity made it more difficult" for the Portuguese mentor to motivate his boys in training, as per the National.

However, their match against City, which would have been the first ever Manchester derby outside the United Kingdom, was cancelled on July 25 after heavy rains left the Bird's Nest in Beijing "unplayable". Game officials were one in the belief that it could pose a serious risk to the safety of the players if a game would push through.

The organizers and both clubs decided to cancel the match amidst the disappointment of thousands of Chinese football fans as the welfare of the players were put in top consideration.

The decision was reportedly welcomed with relief by the Red Devils' manager as Mourinho is worried that "the hazardous pitch could have led to injuries".

Meanwhile, newly-acquired striker and self-proclaimed "god of Manchester" Zlatan Ibrahimović is set to join his new team this week after having an extended vacation after playing for the Sweden national squad in the recent Euro 2016, SkySports reported.

The Red Devils are scheduled to meet Turkish Süper Lig side Galatasaray SK at the Nya Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden this Sunday but there are still no official announcements whether the former Ligue 1 top goalscorer will be featured in this match in his home country.

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