Guangzhou end Martinez's CSL nightmare

Jackson Martinez made just 16 appearances and scored four goals in two years at Guangzhou Evergrande, and has now been released.

Former Porto and Atletico Madrid star Jackson Martinez has been released by Guangzhou Evergrande after the Chinese Super League club omitted him from a 31-man squad for the new season.

Martinez joined Guangzhou for €42million – briefly a league record – in February 2016, having only moved to Atleti from Porto as one of European football's most sought-after strikers in June 2015.

But the 31-year-old Colombia international has been plagued by injuries, making a mere 16 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals.

Guangzhou only signed one foreign player during the recent transfer window, with Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj arriving as a replacement for Paulinho, who has successfully adapted to life with Barcelona.

Ricardo Goulart, Alan and Kim Young-gwon were named as the other men to fill Guangzhou's overseas quota.