The transfer of Benjani Mwaruwari from Portsmouth to Manchester City, which was completed yesterday, stalled at the deadline last Thursday because the player fell asleep at the airport on his way to Manchester, according to Peter Storrie, the Portsmouth chief executive.

City were unable to complete the player’s medical and send in all the required paperwork before the midnight deadline after the Zimbabwe forward failed to arrive at Manchester airport until 10.30pm.

“In his own inevitable, wonderful way – and we all love Benji so much - he falls asleep at the airport and misses two planes,” Storrie said.

“You couldn’t write the script. The next plane at 7 o’clock got cancelled and the 8.30 was delayed. It just made the whole situation a fiasco.”