Given Duan Liuyu's current marginalized situation, it's possible that his career with Shandong Taishan is coming to an end. Compared to him in the same position, Duan doesn't have any advantage, as he is a poor defensive midfielder, while the attack-oriented Li Yuan scored two goals and had six assists this season. Compared to defensive backs, Duan Yoo-woo's offense is among the laggards. Choi Kang-hee has already started to develop new players, and the young and talented Xie Wen can gradually become his favorite player, and his style of play is also more suitable for Shandong Taishan team.
In addition to Duan Liuyu, Shandong Taishan have other good attackers, such as Abdul Meat Suli, who is more suitable to play in front of the waist, with more physical confrontation, and Liu Guobao on the side. Duan Liuyu has lost his place in the Shandong Taishan team, and unlike some of the previous loan players, Duan will be 26 next year and has no potential. The three new stars promoted by Choi Kang-hee are much stronger. Taishan has a large number of players to clean up, including questionable players. The team has not officially released the contract. As long as Choi Kang-hee is coaching, Duan Liuyu will have a hard time.
With three more rounds of the Chinese Super League to go and the AFC Champions League to come for Wuhan Three Town, Duan Liuyu has one last chance to prove himself. Even if he doesn't end up renewing his contract with Shandong Taishan, he can join another team and start over. Duan Liuyu needs to join a mid-to-lower-tier team with him at the center. Just like Lin Liangming of Dalian Shide, he didn't start his career with a great performance. However, with enough playing opportunities, he eventually became a member of the national team. The high point of Xiaoduan's achievement came in the 2019 season, after which he did not get any further progress. This situation may be related to the fact that Shandong Taishan changed three head coaches.
