Asia’s first interactive football experience? Sounds brilliant. As a football fan, The Interactive Zone at The Manchester United Experience had me excited. “Go behind the scenes,” the press release said. “Train like the stars”. I arrived at the Venetian Macao expecting something special.

From the moment I swiped my card, it was clear I had set myself up for embarrassment. A name appeared beside my uncomfortably large, not entirely authorised picture (beware of the registration webcam), on the ten-metre-high screen, announcing my entrance into a futuristic ‘on the turn’ training pod, which featured three lights on one wall and three more on the opposite. One light would illuminate, designating it as a target. Kick the ball into it successfully and the same would occur on the opposite wall. Hence, ‘on the turn’. Easy, right? A small crowd rapidly formed and, just as quickly, realised that I’m rubbish at football. Images of my struggles projected onto the big screen. Who would have thought this would be so difficult?

Don’t let my average football skills deter you. In fact, if you’re good enough, you might even have your portrait emblazoned across the enormous screen, which advertises the top scores of the day. And if you’re after worldwide football fame, this may be the answer, with plans to have all videos available on the internet. I’m glad that this feature has yet to be rolled out.

The training capsules are fun. There are four others – dribbling, awareness, shooting and goalkeeping, together forming the highlight of the Interactive Zone. Earlier, former Man U player Bryan Robson had entered the ‘shooting’ training pod in his immaculate suit, gleaming leather shoes and wavering buttonhole flower – not the most appropriate attire for the activity. Cameras flashed as he sent the ball crashing into the centre of the target five metres away. I was unlikely to replicate that. To save from further embarrassment, I stayed away from that pod and pushed on toward the match-day experience.

“It’s the closest thing to actually walking out onto the pitch at Old Trafford,” the former England captain had boasted. Not quite, Captain Marvel. What had been billed as a simulation of the Theatre of Dreams turned out to be a Theatre of Confusion. You ‘follow’ the players from the tunnel into a room with four large screens that surround you and show frenetic highlights of United’s 3-0 demolition of Liverpool in March 2008. Unfortunately, each of the four screens were slightly out of synch and thus slightly confusing. Not quite what I had expected and not particularly exciting.

Overall, the Interactive Zone is a little disappointing. Kids and die-hard United fans will get a thrill from taking a picture with a replica European Cup and receiving a locker room chat from Sir Alex Ferguson. But overall it’s anti-climactic, which isn’t particularly ‘Man Yoo’.

The Manchester United Experience is at The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian Macao. $128 (10 years and above), $98 (under 10). www.manutdexperience.com