Gao Tianyu would play for the Zhejiang FC youth team before joining third tier Japanese football club Iwate Grulla Morioka.
[1] He would go on to be promoted to their senior team where he made his professional debut in a league game on 1 December 2019 against Thespakusatsu Gunma in a 1-0 defeat.
[2] This would be his only appearance for the club after they allowed him to leave once his contract expired, which saw Gao return to Zhejiang.
[4] He would then go on to establish himself as a regular as the club gained promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2021 campaign.
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