(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-11-15 18:40

Manchester City announced partnership with Shanghai Shenhua Club yesterday and said it is handing trials to three players from Shenhua.

Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson, along with China international Sun Jihai and club officials, arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday.

“This visit reflects the global nature of football and it"s good that we are now attracting interest from other countries,” Eriksson was quoted by City"s official website as saying prior to his trip.

With Barclays Premier League football a huge attraction in most of Asia, City are hoping to capitalise on the international growth of the league.

The Shanghai Shenhua Club held a unique welcom ceremony to Manchester City at a stylish pub in the Chinese finnacial hub, where Eriksson and Sun exchanged their views on football with Shenhua head coach Wu Jinggui and other celebrities of Shanghai.