Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jihai Sun (L), seen here challenging Wayne Rooney of Manchester United, was the first Chinese player to score in the English Premier League

Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Manchester has been hotly anticipated by Chinese social media users, who are abuzz over why he visited Manchester City, and not the more internationally famous Manchester United.

Mr Xi will call at the former club of Sun Jihai: the first Chinese to score in the Premier League.

Football is currently at a low ebb in China, and web users hope the visit will give the game a boost there.

Man City vs Man U

The #XiJinpingVisitsUK hashtag has been trending, with tens of thousands talking about one topic alone: football.

Image caption Sina Breaking News website (L) and CCTV News (R) noted Mr Xi's visit as well as Sun Jihai's induction into the UK's National Football Museum Hall of Fame

Sina Weibo's 'Breaking News' post stating that "Xi Jinping dreamed of seeing Man U at Old Trafford, he was scheduled to go to Manchester City" was one of the most shared.

Many were angry at what was described as an "inexplicably embarrassing" decision to visit Man City instead of Man United, and blamed it on Mr Xi's British hosts.

One post said that the Chinese president's dream of a visit to Man United was "broken".

But state media have defended the change of plan, saying that it "is because of Chinese football hero Sun Jihai" - a former Manchester City player.

Mr Sun played for the club 130 times in the six seasons between 2002 and 2008, scored three goals, and was the first Chinese player to appear in the Premier League.

Today, to mark Mr Xi's visit, Mr Sun will be inducted into the England Football Museum Hall of Fame.

Beckham big in China

Sina Sports said the heated debate had been sparked off because former midfielder "David Beckham and other football stars from Manchester United... have many fans in China".

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption David Beckham played nearly 400 games for Manchester United

Beckham has been the subject of an active Sina Weibo page since 2013. The page has attracted more than five million fans, and posts receive thousands of likes and comments from devoted Man U followers and smitten female fans.

When people on the streets of Beijing were asked in a recent Xinhua video what their first thought was of the UK, many said "Beckham".

Flimsy footwork

Mr Xi's Manchester visit has also sparked intense debate on whether China can transform its own national team.

National sports channel CCTV-5 stressed that Mr Xi is a "football fan" who has "vigorously promoted football reform".

Many social media users feel that Mr Xi's visit to Manchester is a good thing, saying that he will "learn from the best and make the country stronger, for the nation and the people".

But some have highlighted the shortcomings of their own football association.

One user said that the problem lay with the current players. "The biggest danger in Chinese football now is that the current gang have pigs' feet; if you get rid of the whole bunch of trotters, then within five years, Chinese football will be the best in Asia."

BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.