BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Guangzhou FC has appointed Liu Zhiyu as the head coach of its first team for the new season of the Chinese Super League.
The 38-year-old, a less known figure compared with his predecessors Felipe Scolari, Marcello Lippi and Fabio Cannavaro, will be aided by veteran coach Fu Bo who serves as the club's technical director, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Guangzhou side.
Liu joined Guangzhou club's coaching staff in 2010.
The financially stricken Guangzhou side, which won the Chinese Super League title eight times, has seen an exodus of players before the new season starts.
Zheng Zhi, held as a totemic figure at the club, has reportedly chosen to leave after having spent 12 seasons in Guangzhou.
Other established players like Ai Kesen, Gao Late and Zhang Linpeng also walked away, leaving behind them a team with an average age of 21.12.
Midfielder Zhang Weixiu, a regular starter over the past several seasons, was left out of the team list for the new season amid reports that he refused to take a pay-cut.
Jiang Guangtai and Wei Shihao, the only two Chinese internationals of the current Guangzhou squad, are expected to take the leading roles for their expectedly fraught 2022 campaign.
The kickoff date of the Chinese Super League new season remains undecided due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ■
