South Korea head coach Paulo Bento has revealed his 26-man roster for the 2022 World Cup.
Included in this squad is Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-Min. The striker fractured the orbital bone in his face just 11 days ago.
Due to the injury, Son had to be substituted in the first half of a Champions League match with Marseille on 1 November.
Previously, the South Korean needed help off the pitch during the match in France. Although he was able to walk off the field that night, Son staggered and seemed to have trouble with his vision as he walked down the tunnel.
Bento assured that he has spoken with his star player before making the decision. “We are in contact with him, with the Tottenham medical department, but about the exact time, the exact day that he can train with the team, we don’t have that information yet,” Bento explained when revealing his 26-man squad on Saturday.
“So we have to wait, we have to analyze his situation day by day,” the coach continued. “We have time to decide and the most important thing is that he recovers as well as possible, feels comfortable and then we will make the final decision.”
Spurs missed Son as he recovers from injury
Son obviously hasn’t played a match since the Marseille match earlier this month. The injury forced the star to miss Spurs’ last three games before the World Cup break. The North London side have clearly lost one of their most important players.
Without Son, Spurs have lost to Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Liverpool’s defeat was a closely contested Premier League clash. However, the away loss to Bosque came in the third round of the Carbao Cup. Spurs also have a Premier League clash against Leeds on Saturday. It is his last game before the World Cup break.
Bento’s team will kick off their World Cup in Qatar with a matchup against Uruguay on Thursday, November 24. The Asian team is part of a difficult Group H along with Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay.
Complete South Korea World Cup roster
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-Gyu, Jo Hyeon-Woo, Song Bum-Keun.
Defenders: Kim Min-Jae, Kim Young-Gwon, Kwon Kyung-Won, Cho Yu-Min, Kim Moon-Hwan, Yoon Jong-Gyu, Kim Tae-Hwan, Kim Jin-Su, Hong Chul.
Midfielders: Jung Woo-Young, Son Jun-Ho, Paik Seung-Ho, Hwang In-Beom, Lee Jae-Sung, Kwon Chang-Hoon, Jeong Woo-Yeong, Lee Kang-In, Son Heung-Min, Hwang Hee- Chan, Na Sang-Ho, Song Min-Kyu.
Forwards: Hwang Ui-Jo, Cho Gue-Sung.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Penta Press
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