Hong Kong manager Mixu Paatelainen wants Chinese Super League players Dai Wai-tsun and Tan Chun-lok to join his squad in future, saying the pair were both on his radar.
Both players are making regular appearances for their teams after the CSL kicked off in July, with Dai playing six out of seven games for Shenzhen, while Tan turned out five out of six matches for Guangzhou R&F.
“Both players are on my radar,” admitted the Finn. “Dai is eligible [to play] for Hong Kong and hopefully he can represent the team one day. He had a very good development in England and also trained in the Netherlands where they always develop players in the right way. He will gain valuable experience playing in the CSL.
“Tan is a clever and intelligent player and his work rate is unbelievable. I’ve known him since he played in the World Cup qualifiers under me and has been excellent in the event. I can trust him and I hope he can continue to play well in the CSL.”
Dai, 21, has played for Hong Kong at youth level after leaving for England when he was 11. He was called up by former Hong Kong team manager Gary White in 2018 for friendlies against Thailand and Indonesia while playing in England but pulled out due to injuries. He was also selected into the 30-member preliminary squad for the 2019 East Asia Championship second round in Taiwan but didn’t make the final squad.
Mainland media has been hailing Dai “a promising player for Team China” despite the player’s dual Hong Kong and British citizenship.
The 24-year-old Tan also spent his junior years in England and has established himself with the Hong Kong team after returning to the city in 2013.
The two players might have been working together on the Hong Kong team had the 2022 World Cup Asian zone qualifiers against Iran, Iraq and Bahrain not been pushed back from October and November.
“It’s very disappointing not having the qualifiers in October and November,” said Paatelainen. “The last time we played was at the East Asia Championship in Busan [last December] so it has been a very long time. But we are not the only country that has gone through that under the pandemic.
“I hope the [Hong Kong] Premier League can start in September and the teams can resume training soon. Then I can get access to the players, see them train and play and give them advice.”
The manager said delaying the World Cup qualifiers would benefit the team as several foreign players are getting their Hong Kong passports after playing in Hong Kong for seven years. It is believed Michael Tse Ka-keung, of R&F, and 2017 Footballer of the Year Fernando Pedreira, of Eastern, are on top of Paatelainen’s list.
“I am now planning [to stage] an international friendly in November in front of the Hong Kong fans as they haven’t watched us for a long time,” he said. “We always want to get the players together to learn and develop and prepare for upcoming matches. But we are not sure if we can hold the match as we need to respect the government’s rules on social distancing under the pandemic. Players’ safety is always of the greatest priority.”
Paatelainen’s two-year contract with the HKFA is due in March and there’s also uncertainty whether the three remaining World Cup qualifiers will take place at all.
“I don’t think about that [the contract],” he said. “My job is to develop the players and when the time is right, we will address the issue,” he said.
