Initially, Ivankovic was skeptical about Hou Yongyong's ability to fight, and as a European coach with a deep understanding of the intensity of international competition, he saw that despite his superior skills, Hou Yongyong might still have a shortcoming in terms of physical confrontation, which might constrain him from playing at the national team level, especially in the face of the big and strong opponents, and whether Hou Yongyong could maintain a stable state of play became a key point that Ivankovic had to think about deeply.
Moreover, the Norwegian First Division, where Hou Yongyong plays, is not very competitive, so even if Hou Yongyong performs well, his performance will be relatively limited, and perhaps in the eyes of Ivankovic, the Norwegian First Division is not even as good as the Chinese Super League, and even though Hou Yongyong has made a big splash in the Norwegian First Division, it's still not known if his performance can be carried over to the higher levels, and therefore, when selecting members of the national team, Ivankovic might prefer those players who have proved themselves in the Chinese Super League.
Lastly, Ivankovic's understanding of Hou Yongyong, as the new national team manager, needs time to familiarize himself with each player's attributes and style of play, and as a naturalized player with a long history of playing in the Europa League, Ivankovic naturally does not have the same understanding as his local counterparts, which indirectly impacts Hou's chances of getting a chance to play for the national team.
