Hong Kong youth ‘proud and honoured’ to play against Manchester United despite thrashing
Concluding match in JC Youth Football Academy Summit sees city’s youngsters given a valuable footballing lesson by English club
Hong Kong’s best youth football prospects were “proud and honoured” to have had the chance to go up against Manchester United’s U16 academy over the weekend, with their coach saying the experience would make them better athletes.
The JC Youth Football Academy Summit is a week-long event featuring two matches in which Hong Kong footballers played against their Manchester United counterparts at Mong Kok Stadium.
Organised by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the summit saw the Premier Youth League Select draw 3-3 with United’s academy before losing a penalty shoot-out. And on Sunday, Hong Kong’s U16 national team lost 7-1.
Despite the result, Hong Kong captain Jay Chan, who is an academy player for Spanish side AD Alcorcon, said he valued the experience.
“It was a really good opportunity; I think we put a lot of effort into it,” Chan said.
“We did really good as a team; of course, there’s a lot to improve, but I think we’ll do better next time.