Everton staff have discovered one of their former players has been immortalised in China!

Blues coaching staff are in China this summer to help identify and develop talented youth players.

This week, Shengyang - in the north east of the country - was the destination.

In the city centre there are a series of statues in honour of the football team which played at the World Cup in 2002 - the only Chinese side ever to take part in the tournament.

And at the front was ex-Everton star Li Tie.

"Li Tie was one of the few Chinese players to do well over in Europe but it was a bit of a surprise to see him there," said Ian Snodin, part of the Everton delegation, to evertonfc.com.

"But the fact that there is a monument and statues just for qualifying for the World Cup shows how seriously they take their football."