Youngsters who aspire to be the next Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney or Ryan Giggs could realise their dreams with help from Manchester United Soccer Schools, the Hong Kong Football Club and Cathay Pacific Airways, which are still recruiting for the new training season.

From early next month until March, budding soccer players from eight to 15 can learn football skills from experts such as Mick Duxbury, who has played for Manchester United and England, and Michael Wild, who played for Rochdale F.C. and has coached in Europe, Africa, America and Asia.

'We concentrate on attacking skills, especially one-on-one situations, and the children will get to use innovative equipment such as dribbling mannequins, passing gates, laser speed guns, shooting targets and slalom poles,' said Manchester United Soccer Schools spokesman Andy Bratsanos.