Man Utd vs City called off as China tour descends into farce

Beijing's Manchester derby cancelled over safety fears amid questions over the wisdom of pre-season tours to Asia

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(Image credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Manchester United's pre-season tour of China has descended into farce after the highly-anticipated clash between Jose Mourinho and Manchester City's new boss Pep Guardiola was called off because of an unsafe pitch.

The pair were due to face each other for the first time in three years at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, and the renewal of their rivalry had generated much excitement. But during the build-up to the match, the two managers were in agreement, both stating that their players risked injury if they were to play.

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