The Indie reports:
‘Manchester United continued their 100 per cent pre-season record with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Beijing Hyundai at the Workers' Stadium here, but the frustration of the strikers Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney was always evident in a tempestuous match watched by just 24,224 fans.
‘Van Nistelrooy was substituted in the 70th minute after charging at defender Zhang Shuai following an aggressive tackle, but the Dutchman's disappointing tour had already seen him miss several scoring opportunities. Wayne's Rooney irritation was evident too, with both players involved in earlier altercations with Yang Pu, the Beijing midfielder voted China's player of the 2002 World Cup. Rooney lashed out, kicking Yang after a first-half challenge, but the United manager Sir Alex Ferguson played down the incidents.
‘A watching Bryan Glazer will have been concerned that the 70,000-capacity stadium was just over a third full. When United last played in China in 1999, 78,000 paid to see them in Shanghai. As further evidence that their star is dimming in Asia, last Saturday's visit to Hong Kong attracted 8,000 fewer than when United last visited.
‘A series of critical editorials in the Beijing media suggested that local fans of European football were becoming more discerning about watching teams live for pre-season games, but with ticket prices costing as little as £7 and widely available before the game, United officials will be concerned, especially as the club's new board want to increase revenues from Asia.’