On April 5 came the news that the U23 national football team returned side by side with the Chinese men's football team on the night of April 3, Beijing time. According to Football Weekly, the U23 national football team is about to face the challenges of the East Asian Cup and the Asian Games, which is not only a valuable time to exercise, but also to reserve strength for the future of the national team.
However, due to the epidemic, the country is unable to organize the East Asian Cup tournament as originally planned, and Japan or South Korea are expected to take over the baton. In terms of opponents, Japan has announced that it will be fielding an U21 national team in an appearance aimed at warming up for the 2024 Paris Olympics. As for South Korea, no team has been announced yet, but it will undoubtedly not be an official national team lineup.
It is reported that the U23 national football team coached by Jankovic will shoulder the burden of the East Asian Cup competition. Given that the U23 national football team not only has to shoulder the mission of national football renewal, but also needs to prepare for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games held at home, Jankovic may call up overage players including Zhang Yuning, Tong Lei, Yang Liyu, Yan Dinghao, Gao Tianyi, and Duan Liuyu, etc., in order to improve the overall strength of the team.
Soccer Weekly pointed out that the East Asia Cup team, to some extent, foreshadowed the future of the Chinese men's national team prototype.U23 national football team of the East Asia Cup and the Asian Games trip, not only is the growth of this group of players opportunities, but also for the future of the national team to build momentum.
