Yue Xu

Yue Xu came through the Genbao Football Base before joining Shanghai Shenhua's academy, and his early years followed the well-worn path of a promising midfielder farmed out on loan to gain minutes. The move to Shenzhen FC in 2020 followed the same pattern, with loans to Jiangxi Lushan and then Wuhan Three Towns, where he picked up a China League One winner's medal in 2021.

That title remains the clearest marker on his CV. The three senior caps for China, earned during the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship with a debut against South Korea, came at a point when Xu had already shown he could deliver in a promotion campaign rather than simply make up numbers in a squad.

Since then his career has moved quickly between clubs without settling. A season at Shijiazhuang Gongfu brought one goal in 24 appearances, and a switch to Changchun Yatai produced a similar return before he moved on again on a free transfer. He now plays for Dongguan United.

Xu is right-footed, comfortable through the centre of midfield, and has yet to spend more than a couple of seasons at any one club since leaving Shanghai Shenhua. Whether Dongguan United becomes a longer-term home or another staging post is, for now, an open question.