There were fears for a brief while that Manchester United might have problems training at the Yuanshen Sports Centre in Shanghai on Wednesday ahead of their game against Tottenham Hotspur at the Hongkou Stadium.

Torrential rain flooded roads around the training centre and groundstaff were spotted wading through huge puddles in bare feet on the pitch. The rain was so heavy that drain grids were in danger of being blown off by overflowing water - like a lid on a boiling hot saucepan.

In one instance, a heavy traffic cone was placed over a grid to prevent it from flying off and injuring people while cars had to drive through about three feet of water to enter the sports centre.

However, in an indication of just how hot and humid it can get in these parts at this time of the year, that floodwater had disappeared barely two hours later as the rain ceased and the sun came out and the pitch had dried out, to the point where it looked like it might even need a water!

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Romelu Lukaku has been ruled out of the Spurs game, which means the wantaway Belgium striker will not have featured in any of United’s four matches. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the United manager, said he could not have forecast Lukaku succumbing to an ankle injury but his continued absence comes at a time when his future remains shrouded in uncertainty.