Chinese teenage striker Dong Fangzhuo has signed for Manchester United in a 3.5 million pound ($6.48 million) deal with Dalian Shide, the China club said on Tuesday.

"It is worth it," Dalian's general manager, Lin Lefeng, told Reuters. "It's good for the two sides and for Dong Fangzhuo himself."

The deal was signed in Dalian on January 3.

Dong, 18, emerged as the cream of a crop of youngsters sent by China's top clubs to England for trials in August and United manager Alex Ferguson said in November that the club was pursuing him.

Former Dalian defender Sun Jihai, the first Chinese international to join the premier league, plays with rivals Manchester City.