Manchester United plane aborts landing in Germany

Manchester United's plane had to abort its landing seconds from touchdown as the squad flew to Germany for Wednesday's Champions League match with Bayer Leverkusen, British media reported.

The chartered 185-seater Monarch Airlines Airbus 321 jet circled before landing safely at the second attempt, 10 minutes late at Cologne's Konrad Adenauer Airport on Tuesday.

"The aircraft, carrying the squad and back room staff, was 400 metres from the Cologne runway when the pilot was alerted to another plane on the ground and had to quickly abandon the descent and rise sharply," the Manchester Evening News reported on its website (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk).

United central defender Rio Ferdinand tweeted: "Landed in Germany .... just .... I've only just recovered after that choppy landing!"

United, who declined to comment on the incident, will reach the last 16 with a win in the Group A clash at the Bay Arena.

Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images