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21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2016 FOOTBALL China can challenge for World Cup glory by 2026 - Eriksson SHANGHAI SIPG boss Sven- Goran Eriksson believes China, buoyed by the power and inf lu- ence of President Xi Jinping, can put aside years of failure at inter- national level and push for World Cup glory in a decade. The Swede's club has, like many Chinese Super League sides, in- vested heavily of late in new play- ers and facilities after football fan Xi demanded football offi- cials improve on just one disap- pointing group stage exit at the 2002 World Cup. China are in danger of an early exit from 2018 World Cup quali- fying in Asia but Eriksson, who managed the Ivory Coast at the 2010 tournament in South Afri- ca, said the Asians would quickly see the returns on their multi- million dollar investment. "Ten years ahead, 15 years ahead, I am quite sure that the China national team will com- pete to win the World Cup," he told reporters on Tuesday ahead of their AFC Champions League opener away to Melbourne Vic- tory on Wednesday. "The future for China is great." The much-travelled 68-year-old coach made his managerial name after winning titles in Portugal with Benfica and Lazio in Italy before taking over as England coach and later Manchester City. Eriksson moved to China with Guangzhou R&F in 2013 before taking over at Shanghai a year later and led them to a runner-up Super League finish last term af- ter signing Argentina Dario Con- ca and Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan. He said his move to the bur- geoning football market of China had been another fortunate step in his career. "I think I am at the right place at the right time," said the Swede, who also managed Mexico, Sampdoria and Leicester City and held technical positions at clubs in Dubai and Thailand. "I've been lucky. I was in Italy during the 90s when every foot- ball player wanted to come to Italy because there was more money and the football was very, very good. "Then the 2000s, the English Premier League, all the players wanted to go there. "Now 2016, it seems like every football player wants to come to China. "For Chinese football it's very, very good." Sven-Goran Eriksson, then manager of Chinese Super League team Guang- zhou R&F David Beckham defends Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal FORMER Manchester United midfielder David Beckham has backed under-fire man- ager Louis van Gaal. The ex-England captain says critics of the Dutchman should listen to the views of those who know him best. United coasted into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win at Sky Bet League One side Shrewsbury tomorrow night. The Red Devils, though, face a battle to continue their Eu- ropa League campaign, need- ing to overturn a 2-1 first- leg loss when they tackle FC Midtjylland at Old Trafford on Thursday night. After that comes Sunday's visit of Premier League title challengers Arsenal. It is a lack of consistency this season - United are only in fifth place following seven league defeats - which has seen pressure increase on 64-year- old Van Gaal. Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is re- portedly being considered as a successor. Beckham, who was an in- tegral part of Sir Alex Fergu- son's all-conquering squad, sees no reason to wield the axe at United, even though he would love to see Mourinho back involved in the English game. Beckham told TalkSPORT: "He (Van Gaal) is an experi- enced manager with a great reputation in the game. Some- times it takes time. It is not easy being manager of Man United. "We have to look at results, we have to look at the way we play, we have to listen to fans - the people that really matter at the club - and I only hear great things about him as a person, as a manager, as a coach. "I have met him once before and he treated me unbeliev- ably well. "He is manager of Manches- ter United so there is always going to be criticism, but at the end of the season let's see what happens." Beckham left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2003, be- fore spells with Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris St Germain ahead of retiring in 2013. He sees no reason why Mourinho should not make an impact again in the Premier League, wherever he works next. "Jose leaving Chelsea, who would have expected that af- ter the season they had last year? It doesn't make him a bad manager," said Beckham. "He is still one of the best managers and I hope he comes back to the Premier League as soon as possible. "The Premier League is the Premier League for the great players we bring in, the great teams, the money, the fans and the great characters that we have as managers. You want to see managers like that in the game." Beckham, 40, believes it was always going to be a tough act to follow Ferguson, un- der whom the midfielder won six Premier League titles as well as the 1999 Champions League in their treble season. David Moyes lasted under a year, and Van Gaal has also found the job a tough chal- lenge. "As a Man United fan, I al- ways hoped we wouldn't go through a slump, but it was in- evitable," Beckham said. "When the manager (Fergu- son) left that was always going to be a massive thing, but you also lost players like Keaney (Roy Keane), like Scholesy (Paul Scholes) - and Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) has stopped playing. "You have lost such great characters through the team, and (former chief executive) David Gill stepped away from Manchester United. They are all integral parts of the club. "We have had so much suc- cess over the last 20 years that if we don't win something for one season or two seasons people talk about it being a crisis. "Man United is Man United. It doesn't matter if you love them or hate them, they are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, club in the world and you have to keep that reputa- tion. The only way you can keep that reputation is by win- ning trophies." Louis van Gaal (centre) with Ryan Giggs (left) and David Beckham (right)