[1] On the final day of the winter transfer window, Yannick Carrasco rejoined Atlético Madrid on loan until the end of the La Liga season.

[3][4] In March, as the coronavirus began spreading through Spain and the rest of Europe, Dalian Pro managed to fly back to China.

[5][6] Benitez with two new signings Sam Larsson and Marcus Danielson flew to Hong Kong for visas but they were initially unsuccessful and the two players went back to Sweden to train with IFK Göteborg and Djurgårdens IF respectively.

[citation needed] As the first cycle of the regular season finished by the end of August, Dalian Pro could not acquire a single win out of 7 games, resulting 3 draws, 4 losses, 10 goals scored, and 14 conceded.

[citation needed] The club's first victory of the season came on 29 August against Shandong Luneng with Lin Liangming scoring the only goal of the game.

[15] As the strict quarantine policy for foreigners entering China was still active, he might miss most secondary stage matches upon his return, so Dalian Pro removed him from the squad, and signed Jailson instead.

But FIFA continued the policy that allowed clubs to not release the player just before his departure,[17] while Dalian Pro and Benitez relied heavily upon his attacking role, so he eventually stayed.

Anyway, this situation was often criticized by local media, especially when the team faced difficulties or had unsatisfactory results, and had to use elder players like Zhao Xuri, Zheng Long and Sun Bo.

[23] However, Benitez explained his point of view in many press conferences and his personal blog, that result of the 2020 season was unimportant, and that young players needed time to gain experience.

[25] Sam Larsson was considered a downgraded replacement for Carrrasco at first due to the new restriction of transfer fee, but he displayed various skills and strong spirit, and proved to be a worthy foreign player for the team.

[27] On the other hand, the team relied heavily on Rondon, Larsson and Hamsik, and lacked other scoring tactics when either of them was absent.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.