Ole praises majestic Shanghai and Chinese Reds
Much has changed since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was last in China with Manchester United back in 1999, but one thing remains the same: the Reds are immensely popular in the Far East.
As has been the case throughout Tour 2019, during the previous legs in Australia and Singapore, Solskjaer and the players have been determined to spend as much time as possible with our passionate fans, posing for pictures, signings autographs and putting in plenty of face time.
During a press conference to preview Thursday’s International Champions Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, Ole was full of praise when asked by a local reporter for his impressions of Shanghai so far.
Solskjaer: Shanghai is a majestic city
The boss described Shanghai as a "majestic city" and said the players are humbled to meet so many fans in China...
“It's got everything you'd want in a city and, for me as a manager now, to see all the fans outside the training ground, or the stadiums we've been training on, or at the hotel, we know that we have many, many fans here. So I hope that we can repay them by playing a good game tomorrow, but also by showing who we are as human beings when you sign autographs and take pictures with them.”
“No I have not heard anything,” Ole said, when asked if the game could potentially be impacted. “We got a video from the staff that were here earlier and it was flooded, but now it's fine.
“Of course the heat has helped us as well. We can't do anything with what he decides upstairs on how much to pour down. I'm sure it'll be fine. I haven't heard anything. Everything has been spot on for us.”
Ole: Let's all applaud the translator
Ever the gentleman, Ole finished the press conference by leading a round of applause for our Chinese translator...
Each answer in the pre-match press conference was translated into Mandarin for the local press and, at the conclusion of the media briefing, Solskjaer showed his class by instigating a round of applause for the hard-working translator, saying: “I can't really confirm what she said is right, but I think she deserves a clap, the translator. I'll keep the answers shorter next time!”
As with all the pre-season games, United v Tottenham in Shanghai on Thursday (12:30 BST) will be shown live on MUTV.