Shandong Taishan footballer Guo Tianyu will spend the rest of this season on loan to Portuguese top-flight club Vizela, Guo’s club says.

Shandong Taishan, the Chinese Super League champions and Chinese cup holders, announced in writing last week that Guo, a 22-year-old forward, will play in Portugal until the end of June to gain valuable experience.

Shandong Taishan says Guo is being loaned as part of the effort by the Chinese Football Association to get young footballers in China to play abroad.

Another manifestation of that effort was the signing last July by Sporting Clube de Portugal of 19-year-old winger Monroe Shen Menglu, who thus became the first Chinese female professional footballer to play for a Portuguese club.

Seven seasons ago Shandong Taishan loaned Guo to Portuguese third division club Oriental Dragon, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Qi Chen’s WSports Seven.