Dong Fangzhou’s arrival at Old Trafford could never be described as easy or fast. In fact, it was more like an odyssey befitting the old adventure literature of his home country China. Dong’s recruitment into Manchester United was not as straightforward as others might think, it actually was quite circuitous and would have discouraged most people if they had experienced what Dong did.
Sir Alex Ferguson signed Dong up in January 2004 after he wowed Manchester United scouts while playing for the Dalian Shide. The then 19 year old Dong could not be put into the Reds Academy immediately because he did not have a work permit. This meant that he had to stay for almost two years with ManUtd’s feeder club Royal Antwerp in Belgium before he could join the big boys at Old Trafford.
Dong sees his stint in Belgium as an opportunity to further improve his skills and round out his over all abilities on the field. He says that the time he spent in Belgium only ensured that he is at his best when he finally joins the Red Devils. Now all eyes are on him to see if he will be able to wow the fans and also contribute to the team’s push to win a title this year.
[tags] Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Red Devils, Old Trafford, Dalian Shide, China [/tags]