United's eventful four-game tour of Asia ends on Sunday
with a friendly in China against Hangzhou Greentown.
ManUnited.com.cn spoke
to opposition coach Zhou Suian about his side and the prospect of
facing the Reds...
Tell us a little about Hangzhou
Greentown.
We're renowned as a good passing team but
we're also not afraid to put a tackle in where necessary. We're
currently in mid-table in the Chinese Super League. The team has
been affected by injuries and player movement, but we are still
playing well and are hopeful of getting in to the top four.
What's your opinion of the city of Hangzhou and
Greentown's fans?
Hangzhou is a beautiful city and
our fans are superb. They are known as the "Green Soul" and will
follow us come rain or shine. So they'll be supporting us on
Sunday, but they'll also respect United because they appreciate
quality football.
What are your impressions of your opposite number, Sir
Alex Ferguson?
I am full of respect for him. His mix
of young and experienced players over the years has ensured great
consistency in his team's performances. There are two things I most
admire about him. Firstly, his ability to spot potential – he pays
great attention to his players and bloods them early so that they
become accustomed to playing at the highest level at a young age.
Secondly, his guiding principle is clear: winning is about teamwork
and all players
must follow the Manchester United 'way'. That's the foundation
of his success.
Can you predict what the score will be on
Sunday?
It’s a friendly, so we’re not attaching too
much importance to the scoreline, but we are aiming to help United
to put on a show for the fans. This is a rare chance for our
players to compete against one of the best sides in the world,
which will hugely benefit our future development. We will be aiming
to play at our best, focusing on ball control, and will be aiming
to attack as much as defend.
The friendly is in the middle of your domestic season –
will that affect the way you play?
The game can only
have a positive effect on us. This game has not conflicted with our
league season and we've had plenty of time to prepare for
Manchester United. This is a very important opportunity for our
players, who rarely come into contact with such world-class teams.
We'll learn lessons from United that we can take into our domestic
competition.