China's Dong a great promise for Man Utd - Gill

China's young football talent Dong Fangzhuo is a player of great promise, David Gill, Chief Executive of Manchester United, said Thursday.

Manchester United's Fangzhuo Dong, right, smiles during a practice session at the side's Carrington training ground before their forthcoming Champions League soccer match against AC Milan, in Manchester, England, Monday April 23, 2007. [AP]

The club official told a press conference that Dong has broken into the Man Utd's first team squad after a number of appearances for the reserves since his arrival in January.

The 21-year-old was put into the starting line-up of the club when they tied with AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The English Premier League leaders are playing the Chinese Super League club Shenzhen here on July 23 and Dong will hopefully show up on the pitch, the official also said.

Aces including Wayne Rooney, Christiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs are to be covered in the Asia Tour team, said Gill.

"I wish the stars would be fit for the game after the long tough season," he noted.

The Red Devils are currently running for three domestic and European Major trophies.

The Shenzhen team ranked 11th in the last season of the Chinese Super League.

Man Utd's tie with Shenzhen will be the third stop of its summer Asian Tour, which will start in Tokyo on July 17.