Hwang to now return to Wolves as South Korea crash out of Asian Cup
Gary O’Neil may well have Hwang Hee-chan available for selection this weekend for Wolves’ game against Brentford, with South Korea crashing out of the Asian Cup in Qatar.
The forward has been away from Molineux for around a month, missing the club’s last six matches.
Wanderers have actually managed quite well in his absence, losing just one of those matches (against Manchester United in the Premier League).
The likes of Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia have all stepped up, with Wolves scoring a total of 13 goals while Hwang has been away.
That has been a fantastic return in the absence of their top scorer.
But it looks as though Gary O’Neil may now be able to add Hwang back into the mix after today’s shock result at the Asian Cup…
Hwang Hee-chan to return to Wolves as South Korea lose to Jordan in Asian Cup semi-final
Today, South Korea faced Jordan in their Asian Cup semi-final.
After getting out of their group, Jurgen Klinsmann’s side beat Australia and Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 and quarter-final respectively to reach the semi.
Korea were on the verge of going out against Saudi Arabia, but scored an injury-time equaliser before eventually coming through on penalties – and it was Hwang who blasted in the winning spot-kick.
Against Australia, Hwang then scored an equalising penalty in injury-time, before Heung-min Son scored an extra-time winner.
Korea’s luck ran out today though, as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat against Jordan.
Yazan Al-Naimat and Musa Al-Taamari got the goals in the second-half, leaving Hwang and his teammates gutted.
Unlike at lots of other major tournaments, there is no third-place play off match at the Asian Cup, meaning Hwang will now be released back to Wolves.
A potentially major boost
So South Korea are out of the Asian Cup, and first and foremost, it’s a real shame for Hwang and huge commiserations to the forward.
It would have been fantastic to see him help his country to a trophy. He is a megastar back in his homeland, and it would have been amazing to see him enjoying some international success.
But there is no denying this is good news for Wolves, and we will see now if the ‘excellent’ star is able to play some part against Brentford this weekend.
The game is on Saturday at Molineux, giving Hwang three days to get prepared. Rayan Ait-Nouri was named in the squad to face West Brom recently, after going out of AFCON with Algeria. He had four days to recover for the game with Albion, and was given a late cameo at the Hawthorns.
It’s likely Hwang will be in the squad on Saturday for Wolves. Whether he starts though is another matter, given the travelling involved. One would imagine he won’t be risked from the start against the Bees.
