CSL players Dai Wai-tsun and Tan Chun-lok can boost Hong Kong team, says manager Mixu Paatelainen
- Both players are playing regularly in mainland’s top tier competition and would have picked up valuable experience, says manager
- Paatelainen is disappointed the Asian zone World Cup qualifiers have been postponed and is planning an international friendly in November
Hong Kong manager Mixu Paatelainen wants Chinese Super League players Dai Wai-tsun and Tan Chun-lok to join his squad in future, saying the pair were both on his radar.
Both players are making regular appearances for their teams after the CSL kicked off in July, with Dai playing six out of seven games for Shenzhen, while Tan turned out five out of six matches for Guangzhou R&F.
“Both players are on my radar,” admitted the Finn. “Dai is eligible [to play] for Hong Kong and hopefully he can represent the team one day. He had a very good development in England and also trained in the Netherlands where they always develop players in the right way. He will gain valuable experience playing in the CSL.
“Tan is a clever and intelligent player and his work rate is unbelievable. I’ve known him since he played in the World Cup qualifiers under me and has been excellent in the event. I can trust him and I hope he can continue to play well in the CSL.”
Dai, 21, has played for Hong Kong at youth level after leaving for England when he was 11. He was called up by former Hong Kong team manager Gary White in 2018 for friendlies against Thailand and Indonesia while playing in England but pulled out due to injuries. He was also selected into the 30-member preliminary squad for the 2019 East Asia Championship second round in Taiwan but didn’t make the final squad.
