Dong out to impress at Old Trafford
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Dong Fangzhou is determined to prove he is more than just a Manchester United shirt seller after penning a three-year contract at Old Trafford.
The striker is now a fully-fledged Red Devil after being granted a work permit in January and became the first Chinese player to appear for United in the Premier League draw at Chelsea in May.
After three years in Belgium with United's feeder club Royal Antwerp, it means Dong has the opportunity to try and impress Sir Alex Ferguson in training on a daily basis.
And, buoyed by the award of a contract to celebrate his newly-acquired status, Dong is keen to show he can be as effective on the field as he is in United's Far East marketing campaigns.
"I am trying to prove I am good enough to play for Manchester United," he said.
"I need to train hard and work hard, but that is no problem for me.
"Like every Chinese player, it is tough when you move to a new country because of the language and the fact it is a different culture.
"But, while those three years at Antwerp were hard, in a way they may help me because I am used to playing in Europe now."
Dong was speaking at the launch of a 'Goals for Kids' initiative in Macau, backed by United's sponsors, American banking giant AIG.
For each goal the Old Trafford outfit score on their current Far East tour, AIG have pledged to give £2,000 to TREATS, a Hong Kong-based charity group committed to promoting integration among children, youth and families. -
PROVIDED if he actually able to score a goal
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This guy gonna get sold soon.. The last time I saw him playing against Chelsea, i think he can bungkus and go far far.. But Chris Eagles...
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It's nearly impossible for him to break into the first team. Big clubs are defined by their star strikers/midfielders and we Asians are always being looked upon as inferior ones. Sun Jihai was able to make it solely due to him being a defender.
Dong should just give it up and move to a smaller club to have a higher chance of playing. Most prob Fergie will loan him out to the lower leagues. -
Ferguson expects Dong impact
Sir Alex Ferguson expects Dong Fangzhou to show his strengths at Manchester United next season.
Dong is set to start against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical on Thursday, as United continue their pre-season tour of the Far East, and Old Trafford manager Ferguson has spelt out what he wants from the forward.
"We expect bigger things from Dong next season," Ferguson told the Daily Express.
"He has tremendous pace and power. He's a very athletic boy and has a marvellous physique."
However, the Chinese attacker faces a difficult task to get into the Premier League champions' first-team with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him in the pecking order.
Dong, though, has now signed a permanent three-year contract at Old Trafford after spending time at United's feeder club Royal Antwerp following his initial transfer from Dalian Shide in 2004.
Having handed him his new deal, Ferguson is now keen to see the 22-year-old compete for a first-team role.
"He did exceptionally well and scored a lot of goals at Antwerp and his experience with the Chinese national team has been good for him," Ferguson added.
"Next season we will see a better player. Hopefully he is an emerging player for us."
Dong has made one Premier League appearance to date, which came against Chelsea in the penultimate game of last season. -
He can only impress by selling jerseys in China, nothing more than that.
Cheers.
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every shirt sold he got 0.50 cent commission