The unlikely combination of fast and physical American university football, and one season with Sham Shui Po, has been responsible for Ngan Cheuk-pan’s emergence as a key figure in Ashley Westwood’s Hong Kong revolution.

The midfielder, who played an integral role in Thursday’s fine 3-1 victory over the Philippines, is poised to start his third match under Westwood when Hong Kong face Mauritius at Mong Kok Stadium on Tuesday.

Before starting against Liechtenstein last month, Ngan, 26, had played just 62 minutes, across three outings as a substitute, for the representative side.

He made his first-team debut for Kitchee aged just 17, in 2015, but dropped off the radar during his three years studying in the United States. He played for MidAmerica Nazarene University in Kansas, then New York-based St Bonaventure, before coming back to Hong Kong to rejoin Kitchee in 2020.

Returning Stateside to complete his sports management degree after the Covid-19 pandemic further interrupted Ngan’s career. But he said going abroad made him more outgoing as a person, and stronger as a player.

“Before I went, I didn’t talk too much with the foreign players, but when I got to the States, I had to get into that circle,” Ngan said. “The players were stronger and faster, so I got used to that and applied it in Hong Kong.