Zhu Chenjie (L) of China competes during a Group B match between China and Oman of 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 11, 2021. (Xinhua)
Rising stars Zhu Chenjie and Dai Weijun are called up in China's 24-man squad for the 2022 East Asian Football Championship in Japan.
BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China announced a 24-man roster on Friday for the 2022 East Asian Football Championship to be held in Japan in late July.
The Chinese team is led by China's U23 national team head coach Aleksandar Jankovic. 22 players in the squad are under 23 years old, including rising stars Zhu Chenjie and Dai Weijun. Two overage players are naturalized defender Jiang Guangtai and Changchun Yatai forward Tan Long.
Source from the Chinese Football Association told Xinhua that Jankovic planned to bring experienced Chinese internationals Wu Xi, Zhang Yuning and Zhang Linpeng to Japan, but they all suffered injuries in recent Chinese Super League games and cannot make it to the tournament.
Zhang Yuning (C) of Beijing Guoan celebrates after scoring during a 2022 season Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) match between Beijing Guoan and Shenzhen FC in Meizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, June 21, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
The Chinese team will assemble in Qingdao, Shandong Province on July 13. They will kick off their campaign against South Korea on July 20.
Following is the Chinese team roster:
Forward: Fang Hao, Liu Zhurun, Tan Long, Liu Ruofan, Tao Qianglong, Chen Guokang;
Midfielders: Dilyimit Tudi, Dai Weijun, Xu Yue, Yao Xuchen, He Yupeng, Huang Jiahui, Xu Haofeng;
Defenders: Wu Shaocong, Jiang Guangtai, Yelijan Shinar, Zhu Chenjie, Wen Jiabao, Jiang Shenglong, Niu Ziyi, Su Shihao;
Goalkeepers: Peng Peng, Huang Zihao, Han Jiaqi.