News broke on October 6 that the Chinese men's soccer team had called up two new members, Cheng Jin and Hu Huotao, on October 4 on an emergency basis. The Beijing Youth Daily disclosed that Hu Huotao was already among the first 18 members of the national team in August, and his national team debut may come in the two World Qualifying matches this month.
Compared to returning Zhejiang midfielder Cheng Jin, 2003 U21 national soccer star Hu Hetao has become the center of attention with his "leap" in the selection process.
Looking back at the national team selection in August this year, Hu Huotao was recognized by the coaching staff for his outstanding performance at the club. However, before the last training session, he suffered a serious injury and the U21 national team was in dire need of his support. As a result, Hu's first trip to the national team had to be postponed.
Usually, the coaching staff of the national soccer team picks international players based on the average configuration of each position on the field. Taking the right back position as an example, Yang Zexiang of Shenhua and Gao Junyi of Taishan were the first choices of the coaching staff. However, due to injuries, Yang Zexiang was unable to travel with the team to Australia and continued his treatment in Shanghai. Gao Junyi, on the other hand, was damaged by fatigue due to his continuous participation in the Chinese Super League and Asian Championship, and missed the team's training in Shanghai several times. Whether he can make his debut in the match on the 10th will depend on his recovery.
Despite his small stature and being a left-footed player, Hu Huotao moves quickly, breaks through sharply and can attack and defend. Although this is his first time being selected for the national team, he has a good mental quality as a mainstay of the original U20 national soccer team, which featured in the U20 Asian Cup final.
The right-back position in the national soccer team is currently tight, and Hu Huotao is expected to make his national team debut in the two World Cup matches this month.
