Injuries hamper Chinese preparations for U-17 Asian Cup

The Chinese U-17 national team departed for Dubai on Monday, aiming to make an impact at the upcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, despite struggling with injuries to key players.

China secured its place at the tournament with an impressive qualifying campaign last October, scoring 19 goals and conceding only two. However, preparations were disrupted by a string of injuries during a recent training camp in Foshan, Guangdong province.

"Almost half of the team's starters are injured and are currently undergoing treatment and recovery," the side's Japanese head coach Kenichi Uemura said after a 2-0 defeat to China's U-18 team in a closed-door practice match last week.