Ex-England manager Eriksson on
Sven tells United striker: Take the plunge and head to China, you will be treated like a king
SVEN GORAN ERIKSSON has lifted the lid on life in China – and told Wayne Rooney he will be treated like a king if he quits Manchester United for Asia.
Rooney, currently holidaying on a yacht off Ibiza, is contemplating calling time on his 13- year Old Trafford career after losing his firstteam place last season.
The 31-year-old striker has also lost his England shirt and is at a career crossroads, with China a possible big-money destination.
And well- travelled Swede Eriksson insists the Far East IS a viable option for the Scouser.
Former England boss Eriksson has spent the last four years in Chinese football and has seen the game expand so rapidly he’s convinced the nation will be a football super-power by the time the 2030 World Cup arrives.
And he has no doubt that Rooney could elevate the Chinese Super League to a new level – and pocket up to £ 500,000 a week in the process.
Embrace
Eriksson has returned to his native Sweden after parting company with League One club Shenzhen FC despite only taking over from Dutch star Clarence Seedorf in December.
But after decent spells managing CSL sides Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou R&F, Eriksson knows better than anyone the impact Rooney would have on China.
And his advice to the United star, his striker at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup in Germany, would be to take the plunge and embrace China.
“I hear a lot that China is not a good place to live for foreign people but that could not be further from the truth,” said Eriksson. “I never had a problem.
“Of course it is not the same as Europe and the culture is very different. But if you live in Shanghai it is like living in London.
“If you want to eat Italian, Japanese or Spanish food then there are a lot of restaurants like that and you have everything you need.
“You don’t feel cut off at all, I certainly didn’t and none of the foreign players I had with me felt that way either.
“I lived in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenzhen and they were fantastic cities. I don’t think any foreigner had difficulties with the Chinese way of living in the big cities while I was there.
“I haven’t spoken to Rooney for a long time, so I don’t know what he is thinking, but if he went to China I think he would have a positive experience. He has a young family but there are international schools in the big cities and I know for sure he would have every help possible to make him settle. He would be made very welcome.
“The only problem you have is the language. But if you live in Shanghai or Beijing you have a lot of foreign people so it is less of an issue. I bumped into many Swedish people in Shanghai and many Europeans live there working for big companies.
“And don’t forget the players get treated well. They have everything they need and are very well looked after, so for someone like Rooney or Diego Costa that