Marek Hamsik headed in a Yannick Carrasco corner to score his first goal in Chinese football on Sunday but the former Napoli ace could still be sold in the summer.

The 31-year-old Slovakian international midfielder arrived at Dalian Yifang in the Chinese Super League (CSL) in February with a big reputation.

But he was dropped after a poor start that yielded no goals and no assists as Dalian struggled.

Hamsik returned to the team last week and grabbed an assist, then on Sunday finally got his first goal, rising to meet a corner at the near post by Carrasco.

The smart 55th-minute header was the winner in a 1-0 home victory over a Shanghai Shenhua side themselves at the wrong end of the CSL table.

But it may not be enough for Hamsik, Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer, to remain in China amid numerous press reports that Dalian have been disappointed by his impact.

Local Dalian media reported this week that Hamsik had five matches to prove himself.

Carrasco, the Belgian international winger, could also leave the club in the summer with reported interest from Arsenal and both Milan clubs.