Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit

HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: “We’ve been numbed by performances over the past few seasons.”

Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test.

As an illustration of United’s fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for Friday’s friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city’s representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon.

Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent.

United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim’s bedraggled men.

“Every season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery,” said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organizer of a United fans’ association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China.

Amorim’s side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralizing campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy.

“Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch,” chief executive Omar Berrada said.

This week’s Asia visit will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for United, the BBC reported.

China has the world’s second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market.

United’s