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| 사진=Action Images via Reuters-REUTER Yonhap News |
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| 사진=AP Yonhap News |
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Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain). The recent situation of the three European leaders representing the Republic of Korea is unsettling. He is struggling with injuries and positional competition. Due to the situation of his team, various transfer rumors are also going up and down.
'Captain' Son Heung-min is groaning from a foot injury. On the 11th, he was injured by a tackle by opposing striker Jean Matteo Bahoya in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 season against Frankfurt (Germany). He was excluded from the English Premier League away game list against Wolverhampton on the 13th. Initially, Son was expected to return to the quarterfinals against Frankfurt on the 18th. The situation did not improve easily. Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou said ahead of the league's home game against Nottingham on the 22nd, `Son Heung-min has been having foot problems for a while. I need time to get over it. It's not clear. He's been dealing with the problem for a while. The situation has not improved for us. Rather, it was getting worse. I think rest will be more important than anything else." In fact, Son Heung-min missed the match against Nottingham. Tottenham lost two consecutive league games in which Son Heung-min left due to injury.
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| 사진=AP-LaPresse Yonhap News |
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| 사진=AP Yonhap News |
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'Iron Column' Kim Min-jae is fighting various competitions with pain in his Achilles tendon. The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO) raised concerns. FIFPRO recently posted on SNS that `Kim Min-jae is playing most of this season despite Achilles tendon pain. Achilles tendinitis is an injury associated with excessive game burden. With the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA Club World Cup this summer, Kim Min-jae has less time to rest ahead of the next 2025-2026 season. Kim Min-jae's case is a warning. Without safeguards, the burden of the game could be extremely high in this way.
Kim Min-jae has run tirelessly since the appointment of Munich coach Vincent Kompany. Despite the pain in the Achilles tendon, there is no substitute, so he continues to play on the ground. In this situation, Kim Min-jae made a mistake during the game and was criticized too much.
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| Photo = AFP Yonhap News |
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| 사진=AP Yonhap News |
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`Talented genius' Lee Kang-in is in an ambiguous situation in the position competition. According to French media Lekif on the 21st, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique asked about Lee Kang-in's deployment of defensive midfielders "Yes." I'm sure you'll see Lee Kang-in playing in that position again. Lee Kang-in is a player with excellent skills who can do both short and long passes. Of course, it is not an ideal position for Lee Kang-in. If Lee Kang-in wants to play in that position, he needs to complement defensively. I want players to explore many areas mentally, even if it's a position I hate. If you do that, you get a lot."
Lee Kang-in played various positions this season, including 'Side Striker'Zero Top' due to team circumstances. However, he has been losing ground in the position competition since the winter transfer market. I didn't get the right opportunity. In the end, he played as a defensive midfielder in the French Ligue 1 match against Le Havre on the 19th.
Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in are the center of the official 'Hong Myung-bo'. He is playing as a key player in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, which entered September last year. Except for the time when he was out of injury, he has always been in charge of the waist of the position. Their crisis due to injuries and other reasons is bad news for the 「Hong Myung-bo」. South Korea plans to confirm its advance to the World Cup finals through a match between Iraq (Original) and Kuwait (home) in June. This is why the performance of the three European captains is more urgent.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
