Man Utd release China star Dong

China striker Dong Fangzhuo has had his contract at Manchester United terminated by mutual consent.

The 23-year-old joined for an initial fee of £500,000 from Dalian Shide in 2004, but made only three first-team appearances at Old Trafford.

He was initially loaned out to Royal Antwerp for two years, scoring 35 goals in 61 games for the Belgian side.

Dong made his competitive United debut against Chelsea in May 2007, but only featured twice last season.

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"He scored goals for fun at Antwerp"
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He started the Carling Cup defeat to Coventry in September and came on as a substitute in December's 1-1 Champions League with Roma, before a knee injury ended his season.

Dong, the first Chinese player to play for Man Utd, featured for his country at the Beijing Olympics, scoring a late equaliser against New Zealand as they failed to progress past the group stages.

He has scored two goals in 13 appearances for his country and was one of only two overseas players to feature in China's Olympic Games squad.

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