United End Dong's Four-year Stay

Sir Alex Ferguson's determination to make Dong Fangzhou the face of Manchester United throughout the Far East ended in a predictable and expensive failure last night when his contract was terminated by mutual consent. The 23-year-old, who had become a subject of ridicule to United's supporters, will be remembered as one of the worst players to have ever appeared for the club although he will be a richer man for the experience, having left with a 500,000 pounds payoff.

Dong was signed four years ago from Dalian Shide after United invited a group of 15 young Chinese players for a trial, with the specific aim of signing a player who could simultaneously make it into Ferguson's team while boosting the club's shirt sales and commercial income in Asia. United paid an initial 500,000 pounds but the fee would have risen to 3m pounds had the striker managed to make a success out of his time at Old Trafford.

Instead, his only experience of the Premier League was a nondescript 73-minute run-out when United played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in May 2007. If that seems like a strange match to have blooded such a raw player, it should also be remembered that the two sides were about to face each other in the FA Cup final, meaning Ferguson had selected a team exclusively made up of reserve and youth-team players.

Otherwise, Dong's other notable appearances mostly occurred when the club had embarked on their regular pre-season tours to South Korea, China and Japan, although he was a regular in the reserves before suffering a number of injury problems. United's official website remembered him "scoring four goals in a three-game purple patch."