On July 7, Beijing Youth Daily reported that Coach Ivan plans to add new faces to the forward, midfield and defender lines. He is focusing on naturalized players Hou Yongyong and Wu Shaochong, who are about to move to the Polish league. In addition, some young players who have performed well in the Chinese Super League have also become the focus of the investigation.
China's men's soccer team is scheduled to gather in Dalian on Aug. 18 to prepare for the 18-team tournament in early September, including two matches away to Japan and at home against Saudi Arabia, Beiqing said. Head coach Ivankovic will return to Beijing from Croatia on Aug. 12 to prepare for a new training session.
Hou Yongyong plays in the Norwegian First Division and it was recently confirmed that he still holds Chinese citizenship, which Ivan is concerned about and will continue to follow. Ivan is also concerned about Wu Shaocong, who plays in Europe. The frontline candidates are Ivan's current dilemma. Zhang Yuning is recovering well, but attacker Fernando has missed two consecutive rounds of the Chinese Super League and Ivan expects him to be back soon.
The foreign assistant coach of the national football team will return to China on July 8, and the Chinese coach has already begun to assist in player visits. Upon Ivan's return, the coaching staff will discuss and finalize the list of training players. The CFA will need to coordinate the investigation with Hou Yong's club to ensure that he can make reasonable arrangements to join the team before the Aug. 18 training.
