Ex-Premier League and England Under-21s player Tyias Browning has been playing in China under the name Jiang Guangtai and switched his national allegiance.
The 27-year-old defender came through the Everton youth academy and spent seven years of his senior career at Goodison Park.
Guangtai was loaned out to the likes of Wigan Athletic, Preston North End and Sunderland during his time with Everton.
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The former Everton man only managed nine senior appearances for the Toffees before he was shipped off to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou in 2019.
Guangtai represented England at Under-17s, Under-19s and Under-21s, but never made an appearance for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.
But the centre-back, who can also be deployed as a full-back, seems to have adapted well to life in China and changed his name.
Guangtai has also decided to switch his national allegiance to China, with the Guangzhou player being called up to the national team in 2020.
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The Liverpool-born player made his official debut for China in 2021 and made nine appearances for the country, all of which came in World Cup qualifying matches.
Guangtai’s grandfather is from China, which is the nation on his mother’s side.
Guangtai has since opened up about his surreal experience of being coached by Italy legend Fabio Cannavaro, who managed Guangzhou in two different spells.
“You couldn’t ask for anyone better to work with as a defender,” he told The Daily Mirror in 2019.
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“He’s very helpful when it comes to individual work. Hopefully, I’ve many more years of working with him. I feel I’m improving, especially now I’m getting more game time.”
The Guangzhou defender has crossed paths with former Everton teammate Marouane Fellaini, who plays for Shandong Luneng, and former Southampton striker Graziano Pelle in China.
“It was nice to see Fellaini again,” Guangtai added. “When I was at Everton, he was there.
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“I spoke to him in the tunnel before the game and he’s enjoying the challenge as well.
“We’ve another 90 minutes against the two big fellas up top. It’s a difficult style of play to defend against, especially coming into the last 10, 20 minutes.
“Everyone was feeling a bit tired but we got there in the end.”
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