The presence of Manchester City, Tottenham and Sunderland is a sure sign of shoring up the Premier League's popularity in Hong Kong.

The Daily Mail says Hong Kong's Now TV reportedly paid £146million, for instance, for the rights to show PL matches for the next three seasons. Asia as a whole, not including India, forked out a staggering £874million.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore explained the rationale behind the Asia Trophy, saying: "We had to create more direct relations with international broadcasters and with our Asian fan base.

"We put this tournament on, the clubs supported it and it's been a success."