“I heard it’s an injury that will take up to a month to recover.”
Huang Sunhong, head coach of the Hangzhou Asian Games football team, when asked about the injury status of Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). He emphasized that he is in direct communication with Lee, and said, “His participation is positive because he has a strong will to play.”
The Asian Games soccer team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, convened at Paju NFC on the afternoon of the 25th to begin a three-day training camp.
Only 14 of the 21 players selected for the final Asian Games roster participated in the training session. The Asian Games squad is currently down to 21 players after excluding Lee Sang-min (Seongnam) from the 22-man roster due to his drunk driving controversy.
Overseas players Lee Kang-in, Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), Hong Hyun-seok (Ghent) and Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden), as well as Team K League members Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk), Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) and Hwang Jae-won (Daegu), who were selected to participate in the Coupang Series during the call-up period, also did not join the squad.
The biggest question mark for the national team is whether Lee Kang-in will join the squad, which has yet to be confirmed.
At the recent Asian Games roster announcement press conference, Hwang explained that he was unable to finalize the deal with PSG. As the Asian Games are not organized by FIFA, it would be difficult to recall Lee if PSG refused.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong was as tight-lipped as he could be in response to the concerns, but he was confident that Lee would join the team.
“I don’t want to say too much, but I confirmed that there was a positive exchange when I signed with PSG,” Hwang said, “but we haven’t fully confirmed it in writing, so it’s hard to say yes or no here.”
“But we are still positive. Lee Kang-in’s will to compete in the Asian Games is quite strong.”
Asian Games representative Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan) also expressed confidence in Lee’s inclusion, saying, “After the roster was announced, I spoke with him and told him that we should go together and achieve good results.”
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in was recently substituted at the end of the first half of a trial match against Le Havre (France) in France due to a hamstring injury, raising concerns. He has been accompanying the team on the Asian Tour, but is rehabbing.
When asked about Lee’s injury status, Hwang specifically said, “I was told that he will need up to a month or so,” before adding, “I don’t think it’s that serious. However, we need to be careful because muscles can become a problem again at any time,” he explained.
“There is still time before the tournament, so I think it will recover sufficiently,” he added.
Hwang’s immediate concern is the timing of Lee’s arrival. He has a lot of work to do, with Klinsmann’s trip to Wales in September. Even if the A-team is willing, there is also a question mark over when the PSG club will allow him to join.
“We want to start with a full squad from the A match on September 4, but there are many things that could happen, 먹튀검증 including the A team issue,” he said, “We are looking at plans A to C.”
In a worst-case scenario, the team could travel to Hangzhou without a full 22-man roster. “I hope it doesn’t happen, but there are some things that are unavoidable, so we have a plan,” he said, adding, “We will continue to think about it until we make a decision.”