football-player
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| ▲ Son Heung-min of South Korea speaks at a press conference at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon on June 19, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly football match against El Salvador. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Son Heung-min of South Korea listens to a question during a press conference at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon on June 19, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly football match against El Salvador. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Son Heung-min of South Korea takes part in a training session at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon on June 18, 2023, before South Korea's friendly football match against El Salvador. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Son Heung-min of South Korea takes part in a training session at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon on June 18, 2023, before South Korea's friendly football match against El Salvador. (Yonhap) |
football-player
Son Heung-min available vs. El Salvador after missing previous match
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap) -- After sitting out South Korea's 1-0 loss to Peru last week while recovering from surgery, Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min will be available for the national team's next game.
Son may come off the bench for the Taegeuk Warriors when they take on El Salvador on Tuesday, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said on the eve of the match, noting the longtime captain may not yet have the legs to play 90 minutes.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon.
"We're happy that he's back with the team," Klinsmann said at the prematch press conference. "Every day, he looks fitter. He's not going to start. We will see a little bit how the game goes. I hope, in the second half, he gets the opportunity to come back on."
Son underwent sports hernia surgery in late May following the end of the Premier League season and was held out of the Peru match last Friday. He was a limited participant in some training sessions leading up to that match.
However, Son was back working out with his teammates over the weekend, indicating he'd be good to go against El Salvador. Son, accompanying Klinsmann to the pressure, said he was looking forward to returning to action.
"I hope we can play an entertaining brand of football for our supporters and ultimately win the match as well," Son said. "We had a disappointing result against Peru. We didn't play as well as we'd expected, especially in the first half. So we know the importance of this match."
Last week's loss left Klinsmann without a win in three matches as South Korea's head coach. Son said he and the rest of the team want to end that drought for their new boss.
"We understand how much it would mean to him to get the first win," Son said. "The vibe on the team has been pretty upbeat and positive."
Son said he noticed how some teammates who'd finished their European club seasons in late May looked a bit rusty against Peru, since it was their first match in a couple of weeks. Son said he expects himself to deal with similar challenges, as far as his match fitness and overall sharpness.
"I've been trying to get my body back into shape every day since I joined camp," Son said. "But I know that my body won't always listen to what my mind wants it to do on the field. I've just been trying hard every today to get into the best physical condition possible."
Son said the rare experience of watching an entire match from the bench afforded him a new perspective.
"The coach likes to give us free rein and bank on our individual abilities," Son said. "And at the same time, we have to go out and execute. We didn't do a good job of that in the first half against Peru, and I believe it was an important learning experience for the boys. The coach wants us to win one-on-one battles and be aggressive. We have to try to execute his plans."
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