The final round of the 2023 Chinese Super League season is fast approaching, with Shandong Luneng set to meet the challenge of Henan Jianye at home. Although the outcome of this round of matches is still unclear, both sides have a chance to compete for the second place in the Chinese Super League.
Looking back at the whole season, Shandong Luneng's performance has had its ups and downs, but under the leadership of Korean coach Cui Kangxi, the team's overall performance is relatively stable. In the face of initial difficulties, Cui Kangxi quickly stopped the team's decline.
In the attacking line, the rise of new star Xie Wenneng has been a highlight of the season for Shandong Luneng. Xie Wenneng was initially not utilized until the end of the season when he was favored by Cui Kangxi. Despite his limited appearances and 4 starts in 8 games, he has contributed 4 goals, a rare offensive efficiency among young players.
In contrast, a former national football hopefuls in Shandong Luneng's situation is deteriorating, becoming the team's "chicken ribs". This player is the former Shanghai harbor young talent Hu Jinghang who joined Shandong Luneng earlier this year. According to statistics, in 29 rounds of Chinese Super League games, Hu Jinghang in Cui Kangxi under the banner of only 3 appearances, and are irrelevant substitutes on the field. Obviously, in Cui Kangxi's tactical system, Hu Jinghang almost can not find a place, he is just a dispensable role in Shandong Luneng.
Fans familiar with Hu Jinghang know that he comes from the Genbao soccer base and was once one of Xu Genbao's proud disciples. Hu Jinghang possesses outstanding physical condition, speed and explosive power as a striker. He was promoted to Shanghai Port at the age of 18. In 2017, Hu went on loan to Henan Jianye, where he made 27 appearances, contributing three goals and four assists, showing remarkable creativity and destructive power in front of goal.
Due to Hu Jinghang's performance in the local league, he was selected for the U23 national team several times and became a hopeful star of the national football team, winning wide recognition. However, unfortunately, in the following seasons, the talented player gradually fell to the fringe in the Chinese Super League. Especially this year, after the transfer from Wuhan Changjiang to the talent-rich Shandong Luneng, Hu Jinghang was completely ignored by Cui Kangxi, reduced to a team setup.
At just 26 years old, Hu Jinghang is in the prime of his career. However, just when he should be showing his talent in the league, he suffered from neglect and his dream of being a hero failed to come true. Faced with today's predicament, people can't help but feel sorry for the former national soccer hopeful.
