Manchester City's pre-season plans are in disarray after the flight arranged to take them to China was cancelled for a second successive night.
The Premier League champions were scheduled to arrive in Shanghai on Monday to prepare for the Premier League Asia Tournament.
But their flight from Manchester Airport was cancelled when the club's travel agents, Thomas Cook, failed to book a slot with air traffic controllers.
And Pep Guardiola's squad was grounded for a second time tonight by the same technical issue.
City, who are scheduled to face West Ham in Nanjing on Wednesday night in a four-team tournament that also includes Newcastle and Wolves , are hoping to finally get off the ground on Tuesday.
But they have been forced to postpone a Guardiola press conference for a second time – and the meticulous City boss will not be happy.
Guardiola is frustrated by the club's decision to tour the Far East – they also have games in Hong Kong and the Japanese city on Yokohama – after their pre-season plans were hindered by the weather the last time they toured China in 2016.
City were scheduled to face Manchester United in Beijing in the first Manchester derby to be played outside England, only for the game to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
The Premier League champions are confident they will get off the ground at the third time of asking and will arrive in China in time to face the Hammers.
But it is not the kind of preparation that Guardiola would have wanted as he looks to defend the domestic treble.
