Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola’s eagerly awaited first showdown is under threat with Manchester United’s friendly against Manchester City in Beijing next week at risk of being cancelled because of atrocious weather conditions.

Mourinho and Guardiola are due to lock horns for the first time since their toxic rivalry as managers of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain when United play City in the International Champions Cup (ICC) at the “Bird’s Nest” in the Chinese capital on Monday.

The game at the 91,000 capacity Beijing National Stadium is due to be a sell-out with fans from across China flocking to watch the bitter Manchester rivals in action.