Hong Kong’s finest young player and his best friend, who acknowledges he has not capitalised on his own prodigious talent, have joined forces to unearth the city’s next generation of football stars.

Shinichi Chan, who has 35 international caps, and the ex-Kitchee forward, Bosley Yu Yang, have sunk their own cash into opening La Veritas Academy, which is designed to find and develop a succession of technically gifted footballers capable of playing overseas.

A fixture for Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua, Chan has enlisted the help of football agent Eduardo Marinho, who recently added the left-back to a starry stable that includes Luka Modric, Emiliano Martinez and Romelu Lukaku.

“I’m his first Asian player and when I mentioned this idea he loved it,” Chan said. “If we see a player with potential and we want to send him abroad for experience, he can help.”

In the second half of a 3½-year deal in Shanghai, where he moved to from Kitchee in June 2024, Chan said Marinho was “a very good option for me to maybe go to another [bigger] club”.

Asked whether the Portuguese could secure him an English Premier League move, Chan smiled and crossed the fingers on both his hands. “I hope so,” he said.