Baggies host China star Li Tie
ALBION are playing host this weekend to China’s assistant manager and former Premier League player Li Tie.
The former Everton star has recently been appointed as No.2 to China’s national manager Marcello Lippi to maintain his profile as one of the best known football figures ever produced by his homeland.
He accepted a personal invitation from Albion’s new controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai to visit the club which began with Li watching Salomon Rondon’s hat-trick and the Baggies 100th Premier League win on Wednesday night.
Lai will be flying in to join his guest for the Manchester United match but the visitor has spent his time meeting Head Coach Tony Pulis, watching the players train and visiting the training ground, Academy and finally taking in an Albion Foundation event on Monday.
Li will then close his trip to the UK by returning to Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby.
He made 29 appearances for the club in the 2002-3 season – Albion’s first in the Premier League – but was unused substitute in a game which Everton won 2-1 and featured a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney.