Man Utd taking proactive approach to avoid Tottenham pre-season friendly washout in Shanghai

Manchester United have taken measures to ensure their clash with Tottenham in Shanghai is not called off due to the state of the pitch.

Club officials have checked on the playing surface at the Hongkou Stadium on four separate occasions since November.

And groundsman Dave Lindop will fly ahead of the team to run the rule over it and help ensure it is in a playable condition.

United have also had weekly updates from International Champions Cup organisers Relevent – and are so far satisfied with what they’ve heard.

But with thunderstorms forecast for Shanghai next week, memories of the club’s last trip to China have been brought to mind.

Jose Mourinho’s pre-season preparations in 2016 were thrown into disarray after United's game against Manchester City in Beijing was cancelled just hours before kick off.

Torrential rain had severely damaged the pitch at the Bird’s Nest Stadium, denying supporters the chance to see what would have been the first Manchester derby on foreign soil.

At the time, Mourinho was concerned about the safety of his players.

United have taken a more proactive approach this time around.

Three years ago it was believed City officials had been left bemused by their rivals’ apparent lack of urgency to save the game.

While City sent deputy groundsman Craig Knight to Beijing 10 days in advance to work with stadium staff, United did not follow suit.

Ultimately even those efforts proved in vain.

United have just arrived here in Singapore for the second leg of their tour to Australia and the Far East.

They play Inter Milan at the National Stadium on Saturday before flying out to Shanghai to face Spurs on Thursday.