Espanyol's ascent gives Wu fresh hope

"The responsibility of a head coach is to lead the team to victory. So from this point of view, the coach is doing a great job."

And having apparently settled well into life in Spain, uprooting his young family again to restart his career elsewhere is surely a decision Wu would not take lightly.

"April 23 is St. George's Day and here (in Catalonia) it is known as The Day of Lovers… Despite the pandemic changing many people's habits, still many local people came out to buy flowers and books," Wu wrote on his blog last week.

"That just made me realize how time flies. I still remember two years ago when my wife and I participated in the St. George's Day celebration for the first time.

"We were so curious and everything was new to us. And while we walked around, we saw a promotional site for our club, so I just went over there to have photos with our fans…I just hope I can keep the same passion as when I arrived here initially, both on and off the pitch."

Team China calling

Wu will now turn his attention to Team China's 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, having been unable to participate in any national squad training camps last year due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.

According to reports, Wu will return to Shanghai later this month, and upon completion of his medical quarantine, will join the national team.

China's hopes of booking a ticket to the finals in Qatar are slim, however. With four games left to play in the Asian zone's Group A, China is eight points adrift of leader Syria and only leads third-place Philippines on goal difference. The eight group winners and four best second-place finishers will enter the next phase of qualifying.

China will next face the Maldives and Guam at the end of this month before taking on the Philippines and Syria.

Coach Li Tie's squad will at least enjoy home advantage, with all remaining Group A matches to be played in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

"Despite Wu Lei missing six Team China training camps, his strength has been recognized by the national squad's coaches," read a recent Beijing Youth Daily commentary.

"That's why Wu Lei is always included in the WeChat group for members of the national team training camp. He has always been a vital player for the national team."