HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: 鈥淲e鈥檝e been numbed by performances over the past few seasons.鈥�

Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test.

As an illustration of United鈥檚 fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for Friday鈥檚 friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city鈥檚 representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon.

Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent.

United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim鈥檚 bedraggled men.

鈥淓very season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery,鈥� said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organizer of a United fans鈥� association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China.

Amorim鈥檚 side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralizing campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy.

鈥淭our fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch,鈥� chief executive Omar Berrada said.

This week鈥檚 Asia visit will generate about $10 million (拢7.8m) for United, the BBC reported.

China has the world鈥檚 second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market.

United鈥檚 finances are under scrutiny with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe implementing steep cuts since buying a minority stake just over a year ago.

The club recently announced a further 200 redundancies were planned after 250 jobs were cut last year.

Ratcliffe claimed in March that the Red Devils would have 鈥渞un out of money at Christmas鈥� otherwise.

From Kuala Lumpur, where it was 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at kickoff on Wednesday, it is a four-hour flight to a similarly sticky Hong Kong.

July friendlies in the city between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool and AC Milan, sold out within hours of going on general sale.

No such luck for United for their exhibition match with the Hong Kong team, and with a day until kickoff they face the ignominy of playing in front of empty seats.

The 39-year-old fan Yan said that the United supporters club in Shenzhen has about 2,000 members.

That number has hardly grown in the past few years, he said.

Older fans make up the vast majority of members.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of any words we can use to attract new fans because the team has a bad record and no standout stars to recruit younger fans,鈥� said Yan.

He Zhiyi, a United fan for more than a decade, is flying to Hong Kong from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.

She had hoped to see the squad parade the Europa League trophy, but Amorim鈥檚 side lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the final.

With it went United鈥檚 hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, which would have brought badly needed revenue, prestige and pulling power.

鈥淭he team is all over the place 鈥� players, coaches and management are not moving in one direction,鈥� said the 32-year-old He, a football content creator and author.

鈥淚t feels like the team is killing the enthusiasm of the fans, as if the romance can鈥檛 be sustained anymore.鈥�

Zhang Chongqian, also from Chengdu, said United鈥檚 鈥渟pirit and traditions鈥� have been lost.

鈥淚n recent years, our fans (in China) gradually stopped watching Manchester United or even football,鈥� the 38-year-old lifelong supporter said.

Zhang will not join those fans abandoning his side, even after the poorest season in the club鈥檚 recent history.

鈥淢anchester United have been experiencing a period of sinking,鈥� he said.

鈥淏ut there are still so many fans who will never give up on them.鈥�