Fangzhou Dong Bio Send To Friend  

The initial deal cost £500,000 but could reach as much as £3.5m depending on appearances.

Ineligible for a work permit, Dong was loaned to United feeder club Royal Antwerp to gain resideny in the EU.

Dong took time to get used to a new continent but he began to hit a run of scoring form in 2004/5 before injury hit. Season 2005/6 saw him end up as leading scorer for the Belgian club, though it was in the the second tier of that country's league.

After a pre-season 2006 tour in which he scored against Kaizer chiefs it seemed a matter of time until he joined United's squad.

So it proved in the January transfer window of 2007, though he was restricted to one start, in a reserve team line-up at Chelsea; United had already lifted the title.

Many have questioned Dong's presence as a marketing exercise and his pallid debut gave rise to that.

However, he was a star for his country in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.

He scored his first goal for his country's senior team against Switzerland before the 2006 World Cup and was part of the squad for the 2007 Asian Cup.

In 2007/08 he started in the Carling Cup defeat to Coventry before making his Champions League bow as a substitute against AS Roma. Unable to force himself into the squad, it seems certain Dong will have to look elsewhere for first team football.