Former Everton midfielder Li Tie has been named the new manager of the China national team.
The 42-year-old takes over as the long-term replacement for Marcello Lippi after the Italian quit following a surprise loss to Syria in November.
The ex-Blues man had been an assistant coach with his national team on multiple occasions and acted as caretaker for Lippi after his departure last year, but on Thursday took over on a permanent basis after being selected from a three-man shortlist - according to Reuters.
Tie first moved to Everton in the summer of 2002, initially on loan, from Liaoning and enjoyed a successful campaign in helping David Moyes' side finish seventh.
The midfielder later signed on a permanent basis, but injury issues hampered the rest of his time at Goodison Park before he left the club in 2006 to join Sheffield United.
The 42-year-old retired as a player in 2011 and has been regularly working in a coaching capacity since.
Tie was assistant coach at Guangzhou Evergrande and Hebei China Fortune before taking over as manager for the latter - being replaced by Manuel Pellegrini in 2016.
The former Everton man also took charge of Wuhan Zall in 2018, leading them to the Chinese Super League for the first time as champions.
