As the world qualifiers approach, Ivankovic unveiled the training squad of 31 athletes for our national soccer team. The unveiling of this new roster brought unexpected surprises in the selection of local players. One of the notable players is right back Deng Hanwen from Wuhan Sanzhen.
Dating back to the China Cup tournament in early 2017, Deng Hanwen first attracted the attention of the majority of Chinese fans. At that time, at the age of 22, he was able to join the national team due to the special recommendation of national soccer coach Lippi. In a match against Croatia for the third place, Deng Hanwen gave a wonderful assist to his teammate Wang Jingbin, helping the Chinese men's soccer team to seal the victory with a key goal. Since then, he has risen to fame in the soccer world. Nowadays, Wang Jingbin's figure has gradually faded out of the fans' field of vision, but Deng Hanwen is still active in the Chinese Super League, but repeatedly abandoned by the national team.
Although Deng Hanwen burst onto the scene at the China Cup seven years ago and was touted as a future star of the national team, his career path has not been a smooth one. Both Guangzhou Evergrande and Wuhan Sanzhen, where he played, have gone from glory to doldrums, and Deng Hanwen's personal fortunes have gone up and down as well.
Although Deng Hanwen has excelled in the Chinese Super League, especially in recent seasons, he has matured in Wuhan Sanzhen. His agile running on the right side and forward assists have become an important part of the team's offense. In the past two seasons, he has contributed four goals and seven assists to Wuhan Sanzhen. However, inexplicably, his position in the national team has never been solidified. Neither Li Tie nor Jankovic have ever utilized him to his fullest potential, and even consider him as a dispensable "chicken ribs" international player.
Therefore, Ivankovic's recall of Deng Hanwen is of particular concern. However, the writer believes that with Shanghai Harbour veteran Stanley Wong out of the national team, Ivankovic's recall of Deng Hanwen is undoubtedly a wise move and a reflection of his treasured talent. In the right back position, the national team is indeed short of talent, except for Wang Zhenao, almost no one is available. The 29-year-old Deng Hanwen is obviously better than the young player Wang Zhenao in terms of personal ability and game experience.
Statistics show that Deng Hanwen not only has a solid defense, outstanding speed and explosiveness, but also has a lot of offensive creativity. Ivankovic recalled him this time, undoubtedly injecting a strong force into the right side of the national team's defense. This may also be the reason why Ivankovic recalled Deng Hanwen at the beginning of his tenure. Let's hope Deng Hanwen lives up to the expectations and contributes well to the Chinese team in the World Qualifiers.
