Two Chinese teenage footballers will have a trial at Italian giant Inter Milan this week, which could pave the way for a possible career in Serie A for the duo.

Chinese international and Shanghai United goalkeeper Wang Dalei, 17, will depart for Italy today and do his utmost to impress Inter manager Roberto Mancini during a 10-day trial with the Nerrazurri. In Milan, he will be joined by compatriot Zhang Wenzhao, 19, from Shenzhen Kingway.

If either of the teenagers makes an impact, China would likely see its second representative in Italy's top flight following former national team captain Ma Mingyu. Ma joined AC Perugia in 2000 but failed to start even once during his eight-month stay.

"We are currently open to any option in terms of Wang's future...either a loan deal or a transfer would be acceptable for us and we would go for nothing more than a reasonable price," Shanghai United said in a statement.

"If Wang could land himself a contract with Inter, it would be a blessing not only for himself but also for Chinese soccer as a whole. The more Chinese players hone their skills overseas the faster China's soccer will advance."

Shanghai United now sits in seventh place in the 15-team Chinese Super League table, with 26 points from 23 games, two points more than Shenzhen Kingway, which is in 11th place.

(Shanghai Daily August 30, 2006)