HCM CITY — Football legend Dwight Yorke in his visit to Việt Nam on Sunday said Vietnamese players should leave the country to improve their abilities.

Yorke arrived in HCM City to take part in the launch of a three-year co-operation programme entitled ‘Success Is A Blend’ between Manchester United and their partners.

The former striker was joined by more than 1,000 Manchester United fans at the Nguyễn Du Gymnasium on his fourth trip to the country.

He said there were many potential players in Asia and Việt Nam in particular but they needed better conditions to develop.

He also said competitions in Asia were not as competitive as those in Europe, so to push themselves footballers should try to go abroad and play at higher levels of competition. He said that could help bring Viet Nam to the World Cup one day.

He said it was what he learned from his and his teammates’ experience in the English Premier League.

He said his nation, Trinidad & Tobago, was a small country with about 1 million people and their World Cup participation in 2006 had been a magical experience.

Yorke was a member of Manchester United from 1998 to 2002. He played 147 matches, scored 66 goals and won six titles with the club, including the Premier League and Champions League. — VNS