Oriental Sports Daily has provided an update on Shanghai Port's foreign players, saying Matias Vargas and Claude are both eager to return, while Melendo is certain to be restored to the league squad.
Because several internationals only returned from national-team duty on the 17th, head coach Kevin Muscat did not start many of them in the FA Cup match against Sai Genda. Only Umitjan, who had just returned from China's U23 team, was included in the starting lineup.
According to the previous plan, Yan Junling, Wei Zhen and Yang Xi continued with the national-team group to training camps in Guizhou and Dalian after China's home game against Thailand on the 9th. Jiang Guangtai and Wu Lei later withdrew due to injuries. Jiang needed treatment and recovery for an accumulated old injury, while Wu underwent treatment after a muscle reaction.
Among those players, only Wei Zhen came off the bench in the FA Cup. As planned, after the cup tie, all players who had not featured completed a high-intensity fitness session last Saturday. In fact, physical recovery has been one of the team's main tasks during the break, and from this week the entire squad will move into tactical preparations.
Looking ahead to the second half of the league season, one of the main outside talking points is the foreign-player situation. In the match against Sai Genda, all five of Shanghai Port's current foreign players watched from the stands. Leonardo and Vital had already played plenty in the first half of the season, with Vital featuring in every match. Vargas and Claude are under considerable pressure, and both are very keen to get back onto the pitch.
As for Melendo, although he was removed from the registered squad at the start of the season, he has not relaxed his standards. Aside from holidays, he has trained with the team to maintain his condition. With Gabriel suffering a serious injury, Melendo is certain to return to the squad list for the second half of the league campaign, and there is hope that his comeback can reinvigorate the team's midfield creativity. In addition, An Yongjia, who was injured in the home match against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, has also returned to the squad.