Dong eagerly awaits his chance to shine

Chinese striker Dong Fangzhuo said this month's ING Manchester United Cup will be a chance to shine as he mixes with some of the biggest names in world football.

The 20-year-old Dong will travel to Hong Kong, saying it's a chance of a lifetime to be part of the Red Devils' four-match Asia tour.

'I am looking forward to playing in Hong Kong. This is a big chance for me to shine. It's a big occasion and this will be the first time I will visit Hong Kong. It's a beautiful city and I have read books about it and watched programmes on Hong Kong on television,' said Dong in a phone interview.

'I hope to play my best [in Hong Kong] and show that I am a good player. I hope to come to Hong Kong with a couple of weeks of good training. I want to impress the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] and the Hong Kong fans,' he said.

Ferguson is almost certain to give Dong a chance to play in the exhibition match against the Hong Kong national squad and the former Dalian Shide sensation said he hopes to be ready physically for the mentally for the July 23 match.

'I just arrived in England last Sunday and started training. I haven't started training with the first team yet and I think I might have a chance to do so before we leave for Hong Kong,' he said.

Dong was a GBP500,000 ($7.3 million) purchase in January 2004 from Dalian Shide and has been plying his trade at Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp for the past 18 months, in a bid to gain experience.

'I am not sure whether I will have a chance to play for United in the regular season. I will probably head back to Antwerp and spend another season there,' said the first Chinese player to sign for United. Asked whether he was ready to play for United in this season, Dong replied: 'No, I am not ready. I spent over a year in Belgium and I have learned a lot of things and my ability has definitely improved. But I still got a long way to go.'

Dong recently took part in the World Youth Cup in the Netherlands, where China reached the last 16, but Dong has mixed feelings about the event.

'Frankly, I didn't make too many appearances for my team and spent most of the time warming the bench,' he said.