Man City boss Guardiola hails 'incredible' pilot as he details 'scary' aeroplane flight that had to be diverted to Liverpool

Pep Guardiola has hailed the "incredible" pilot who helped steer Manchester City's flight back to safety amid Storm Dudley on Thursday, after they were forced to divert to Liverpool amid appalling weather conditions.

The Citizens were returning from their Champions League last-16 trip to Sporting CP, where Bernardo Silva helped inspire them to a rampant 5-0 rout to seize a likely insurmountable first-leg advantage.

Yet their trip was not without peril as they were caught in the throes of the one-two punch of Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice that has battered most of north-western Europe over the past few days - and now Guardiola has opened up on the "scary" experience after seeing footage of the side's plane attempt to land at Manchester Airport.

“Well, to be honest when I saw after the video I said ‘wow’," the Spaniard told his pre-match press conference ahead of his side's clash with Tottenham this weekend. "It was more scary and we felt that.

"It was bumping a lot, many times, but there was a moment going down and immediately the engines started to roll on and you go up. Somehing happened but the pilot was incredible, he talked to us and was so calm. The pilot was magnificent. We felt a little bit anxious in there air but thanks to the way he talked to us, everyone was calm.”

Asked about how many times his side attempted to arrive in their home city, Guardiola stated they tried just one descent before opting for Liverpool, with the manager cheekily stating he got a warm welcome in the city of his main title rivals, adding: “For sure, they are always so kind to us. They have a better airport than us!”

Pressed on his plans for the visit of a Spurs side in freefall, Guardiola acknowledged that Storm Eunice has played havoc