With the dawn of the 2022 season just around the corner, the Wuhan Changjiang have officially finalized their squad for the Chinese Super League after the dust has settled from the transfer window. This season, the Yangtze River has 31 players in uniform, with three foreigners joining the team, while the number of U23 players has climbed to 12, highlighting the team's youthful vitality.
Among the 14 new recruits introduced, the team has realized targeted reinforcement in each position. These new recruits have chosen their respective jersey numbers, such as foreign aid Forbes, who chose No. 10 to symbolize courage, Bruno and Cajevic, who chose No. 5 and No. 16 respectively. Among the three returning veterans, Nie Aoshuang chose No. 18, while Han Xuan and Hu Jinghang donned the familiar No. 3 and No. 19. The youngest player, Zhang Huajun, took over the No. 17 left behind by Evra. Meanwhile, six young players who moved up from the U21 team also received first-team numbers, with Cao Xiaoyi, Ren Kangkang, Huang Xuheng, Nihaiti, Pi Ziyang and Li Da choosing numbers 31, 35, 36, 39, 40 and 42 respectively.
In this season's 31-player list, there are 16 Hubei players and Zall Youth Training producers, accounting for more than half of the total number of first-team players. This not only gives many hard-working Zall Youth Training youngsters a stage to show their talents, but also injects new vitality into the heritage and development of Hubei soccer. In terms of age structure, the addition of 12 U23 players makes the team as a whole more youthful and rationalized, with the average age dropping to 25.6 years old, nearly two years down from last season's 27.7 years old. And the experienced veterans will provide strong support for the growth of young players.
The lineup has been set, and we believe that this more localized and younger team will bring constant vitality to the team in the new season, and lay a solid foundation for the team's future construction. Wuhan Changjiang is ready to go, let's work together to create a brilliant future!
