Asian players have bright future: Sir Alex<\/p>\n
Agencies, Hong Kong<\/p>\n
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson said Friday his team's
\ntwo Asian recruits - South Korea's Park Ji-Sung and China's Dong
\nFangzhou - are a sign of the increasing influence of the region's
\nsoccer players.<\/p>\n
\"The future is very bright for them,\" Ferguson said of the new
\ncrop of South Korean, Japanese and Chinese players on the eve of
\nUnited's friendly against the Hong Kong national team.<\/p>\n
\"You'll see more and more of them in the next decade,\" he said
\nof the Asian players, who he added were ready to expand their
\npresence in European football leagues.<\/p>\n
Ferguson said Park would play in Saturday's match but Dong
\nprobably wouldn't spend much time on the pitch. The veteran
\nPremier League manager said the Chinese forward had potential
\nthat would develop in the next three years and that Dong would
\nhave more game time in a July 26 match at Beijing.<\/p>\n
\"He's very strong, quick and athletic,\" Ferguson said of Dong.<\/p>\n
Ferguson said that midfielder Park's poor English has hampered
\nhis game, but he was optimistic the language barrier would come
\ndown soon.<\/p>\n
\"In a few months time we'll see improvement in his English,\"
\nFerguson said. \"I think he'll do very well for us.\"<\/p>\n
Ferguson said Manchester United was ready for a tough match on
\nSaturday, noting that Hong Kong's third-ranked club Kitchee
\nstunned Italian champion Juventus with a 5-3 win on penalties in
\nan exhibition match last month. He said such an upset of a
\nEuropean club in Asia would have been unthinkable two decades
\nago.<\/p>\n
This is Manchester United's third visit to Hong Kong and its
\nfourth trip to Asia in the last eight years. The squad includes
\nbig name players Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ruud van Nistelrooy
\nand Ryan Giggs.<\/p>\n
Skipper Roy Keane didn't make the trip because of an injury,
\nand winger Cristiano Ronaldo stayed behind because his father was
\nill, the club said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Park Ji-Sung insisted on Friday he can be a huge
\nhit with the Old Trafford giants.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old midfielder said he is not overawed by the
\ninterest generated by his four-million-pound move to the English
\nPremiership and is adamant he will not be a bit-part player in
\nFerguson's team.<\/p>\n
\"I have high expectations coming to Manchester,\" he told
\nManUtd.com. \"I hope I can live up to that.\"<\/p>",
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