Manchester City have released an official statement confirming the diversion of the first-team plane

Manchester City have released an official statement confirming the diversion of the first-team plane, during the return trip to England from Lisbon.

Pep Guardiola’s side completed a successful trip to Portugal on Tuesday night, taking a 5-0 advantage back to the Etihad Stadium for the second-leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Sporting CP.

Goals from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, and a brace from former Benfica star Bernardo Silva all but secured Manchester City’s place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition.

However, the trip as a whole did in fact endure some difficulty, as the club confirmed a diversion to their flight en route back to Manchester on Wednesday evening, via a statement on social media.

Writing on their official Twitter account, Manchester City said, “We can confirm the plane transporting the first team home from Lisbon has landed safely in Liverpool, after high winds forced a diversion from Manchester.”

The North-West of England, similarly to large parts of the United Kingdom is battling with the impact of Storm Dudley at present, with wind speeds of up to 90mph predicted.

The worst of the storm is reportedly expected to hit between 2pm to midnight on Thursday morning, with a yellow weather warning covering the rest of north England and the midlands.

Following their return to Manchester on Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola will be looking to put together preparations for their upcoming Premier League clash against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

The reigning Premier League champions currently have a nine-point lead over second-place Liverpool, although Jurgen Klopp’s men do have a game in hand at present.