Manchester United:Dong till 2010
Putting aside any snide headlines that can be made combining ‘United’ and ‘Dong’, I’m happy to report that Manchester United have extended Dong Fangzhou contract till 2010.
Considering that the player was signed for 3.5m in January 2004 and has played at Royal Antwerp since then (pending a work permit), Manchester United are hoping they will finally get some return on their investment. In some ways Dong’s a free signing (much like Ole’s and Scholesy’s return) considering that we now have a new striker to supplement our already-heavy strike force.
Don’t expect Dong to start immediately though – he’s probably behind Alan Smith in the pecking order, which puts him squarely at 7th spot in the Manchester United striker rankings. At best he could get a run out as a sub in an easy home game, but a more likely scenario is that Dong will train with the first team squad and hopefully will be ready to take his place as a support striker next season.
Topics: Manchester United
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According to the BBC he has scored 36 goals in 61 games for Antwerp not a bad record at all. No doubt there will be those that say the record is less impressive bearing in mind the club he was playing for, but that arguement goes both ways – how many would he have scored with better players alongside him ?
At the end of the day he has performed well whereever he has been playing. Next he needs to be tested so that he has a chance to prove himself.
January 18th, 2007 @ 00:10i think manu should let their new superstar dfz to make a doubt
January 18th, 2007 @ 11:56Yeah thats right i guess, considering that ole and henrik and probably smith wont be at Utd next year…
January 18th, 2007 @ 13:57@Ahmed: The lad’s name is Dong(surname) Fangzhuo and NOT Fangzhou as you’ve stated. His profile on manutd.com clearly marks the difference.
He’s scored against a string of second-tier clubs in Belgium. Still, he’s young, tall and pacy. It remains to be seen how he coes with life in the Premiership.
January 18th, 2007 @ 15:50I say that SMith should be loaned or sold as hes not doing TOO well. Dong should make his debut soon as he is a really talented young man and the future of Man u may rely on him and Rooney.
February 15th, 2007 @ 17:32Once LArsson has finished the loan and 33 year solskjaer retures soon maybe next season, we should be able to see DOng in action with Rooney possibly.
February 15th, 2007 @ 17:33