On October 7, Sun Jihai, while interacting with netizens, talked about his past working with Harland's father at Manchester City without emotion.
"My father, and Harland's father, were teammates side by side, but that may sound like a bit of a twist. I remember when I first arrived at City, he had a year and a half of his contract still to run out, and in that time he hadn't taken part in a single training session or game, not on purpose or as a result of laziness on his part, but rather that well known injury - the one that sadly ended his career against United, and although his contract hadn't run out, his footballing career has come to an end."
"Harland's father, on the TV screen, looks much rounder than he did back then. He wasn't tall and lanky like Harland, relatively slim and not as tall as Harland, but still upright. Every day he comes to the training ground early, the injured players are usually early, they ride their bikes, do some treatment, have breakfast and the rest of the day we get stuck into training. After training, he would probably continue to ride his bike and read the newspaper. We haven't trained or played on the same field, but technically he counts as my teammate."
"In my opinion, he is more proud of what he has created with his wife than his career, which is a well-rounded product. I also wish Harland the best of luck at City, even though he is already very good. His well-roundedness is reflected in his speed, shooting and explosiveness, which are his most attractive qualities."
