China

China captain Zheng Zhi to leave Charlton for Luneng duty

(AP)
Updated: 2007-04-05 08:47

China captain Zheng Zhi will return home to play with club Shandong Luneng in June before possibly returning to Premier League club Charlton.

Zheng joined Charlton on a six-month loan deal in January. He said Wednesday he will play with Shandong in a June 7-13 competition featuring the league champions from China, South Korea and Japan.

Chinese international captain Zheng Zhi, pictured March 2007, admitted on Wednesday that unless Charlton Athletic retain their Premiership status he could not carry on playing for them. [AFP]

"After the six-month loan deal, I will definitely return to Shandong Luneng to play," Zheng said. "At that time, Shandong Luneng and Charlton will have a new round of discussions about my future contract."

Charlton is in 17th place, but only one point away from moving out of the relegation zone.

"I will do my utmost to help Charlton avoid relegation," Zheng said. "That is very important because I won't be able to play Premier League otherwise, even if they give me a contract next year."

Zheng has scored one goal in five games for Charlton. He had 21 goals for Shandong in 2006 and was named China's player of the year for the second time.

He is the third Chinese player to play in the Premier League after Manchester City defender Sun Jihai and Sheffield United midfielder Li Tie.