Djurdjevic eyes East Asian Cup as start of new cycle

China's national men's football team caretaker manager Dejan Djurdjevic said on Sunday that he hopes the upcoming East Asian Cup will mark a good start for the team's new cycle, with new players coming into the roster.

Dejan Djurdjevic (L), caretaker manager of Chinese national men's football team attends a training session in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 2, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Qinghao)

The 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup, will be held from July 7 to 16 in Suwon and Yongin of South Korea's Gyeonggi Province. China plays its first match against host South Korea on Monday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Djurdjevic said the East Asian Cup would offer his players a good competitive environment against Asia's top teams, such as Japan and South Korea.

"Such strong opponents will fully test our players and show how our new team performs," he said.

Facing a short preparation period, Djurdjevic said, "One of my relative advantages is that I coached China's Asian Games and U-19 teams before, and many players in this team were my students, so many of them are already well known to me."

On June 27, the Chinese Football Association announced Djurdjevic's appointment as caretaker manager to lead the team in the East Asian Cup. Djurdjevic had previously coached China's men's Asian Games team in 2023 and was appointed head coach of China's U-19 men's team in January 2024.

China forward Zhang Yuning said that with veteran players leaving, young players joining and a coaching change, the team is now undergoing a transitional phase, and hopes to take the East Asian Cup as an opportunity to strengthen their cohesion.

"Our goal is definitely to prepare for the next World Cup and to build better teamwork. As a senior player, I will do my best to serve the team, try my best to play a bridging role, and help young players quickly fit into the team while creating more chances for them to demonstrate their talent," Zhang said.