CHINESE striker Ma Xiaoxu, dubbed the female Wayne Rooney for her precocious talent, is moving to top Swedish side Umea IK for six months, Chinese media reported yesterday.

Ma’s goals are key to China’s hopes of winning the women’s World Cup on home soil later this year and she becomes the latest in a stream of top Chinese soccer players moving to Europe.

“I’ll be going as a spy,” the 18-year-old joked to Goalchina.net.

Last season, Ma became the first woman to win the Asian Young Footballer of the Year award after inspiring China to an Asian Cup triumph and winning the best player and top scorer awards at the women’s U20 world championship.

“She’ll be back before the World Cup,” Wang Haiming, acting coach of the China women’s team, told CCTV as the squad departed for a tournament in Portugal at the weekend.

“Firstly I want her to study the strengths of the Swedish girls and to improve. Secondly, not to get injured, and thirdly to bring back some intelligence on European women’s soccer.”

Although Ma’s aggression, strength and eye for goal have won her the comparisons with Rooney, Ma believes she has a less fiery temperament than the Manchester United striker.

“I know lots of people would like to compare me to Rooney but I do not like the comparison,” she told the China Daily last December. “I know I have a strong personality, but I’m not as explosive as Rooney.”

China’s fortunes have dipped since the side was losing finalist at the 1999 World Cup and Ma hopes she can help the team to a better finish in September.

(SD-Agencies)