Hong Kong talent Timothy Chow reveals how unforgiving Glasgow Rangers stint ‘changed me’
Teenage defender flourishing with Lee Man and aiming for more Hong Kong recognition after September debut
Hong Kong talent Timothy Chow said a spell training in the cut-throat environment of Scottish giants Rangers had opened his eyes to the competitive reality of professional football.
One of the city’s most highly rated young players, unflappable 18-year-old Chow made his Hong Kong debut this year, following a summer transfer from Football Club (HKFC) to champions Lee Man.
He was a regular in the HKFC side, aged 16, and acknowledged: “I felt I had already made it in the Hong Kong Premier League, I trained hard but sometimes had a bit of an ego in me.”
Chow was surprised, then, to receive a lukewarm reception when he showed up for his Rangers stint 12 months ago.
“I was expecting to be welcomed, but [Rangers academy players] saw me as a threat,” he said. “I saw how hungry they were and how much they wanted to be professional footballers. That flicked a button inside me. It showed me what real football was, and changed me a lot.
“I had felt like a professional playing for HKFC … but those two weeks changed my mindset over what a professional footballer should be.
