Hwang Hee-chan injures hamstring again; Klinsmann reports bad luck

Hwang Hee-chan hurts his hamstring once more.A succession of unlucky events, according to September A-Match Klinsmann

Hwang “Bull” Hee-Chan (Wolverhampton) has been hampered by another injury to the muscle behind his thigh (hamstring).

Hwang started as a left winger for Wolverhampton Wanderers in their 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) third-round match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 26 (local time) before being replaced by Layan Aitkenuri at the start of the second half.

Hwang, who scored his first goal of the season with a header as a 10th-minute substitute in the second leg, started the game and looked to make it back-to-back goals, but only played the first half before returning to the bench.

Hwang was brought down by a strong tackle from Nathan Paterson on a breakaway in the 25th minute, holding his right leg in pain for a while before returning to the field after receiving treatment from the medical team. However, the first half ended with little to show for it, and he did not return for the second half.

Wolverhampton held on for a 1-0 victory in the 42nd minute as Sasha Kalajic scored a late winner to give Masugi his first win after two consecutive defeats to open the season.

After the game, the reason for Hwang’s substitution was revealed. It was a hamstring injury.

“O’Neill has confirmed that the reason he replaced Hwang at the start of the second half was due to a hamstring injury,” the Daily Mail reported.

The Wolfpack, a social media channel for Wolverhampton fans, also reported, “Manager O’Neill confirmed that Hwang Hee-chan has come off with a hamstring injury. He will be assessed on the injury.”

Hamstring injuries are a recurring problem for Hwang.

He has been suffering from a right hamstring injury since March 2019 when he played for Hamburg (Germany), and in December 2021, he was sidelined for a while with hamstring pain at Wolverhampton.

The hamstring injury kept him out of training at the World Cup in Qatar, which kicked off in November last year, and he went down again in February this year after pulling his right hamstring in a match for his club.

In the 2023-2024 season, Hwang seemed to be on the rise, coming on as a substitute in the opening match of the EPL and scoring a goal in the second round, but he was hit with another hamstring injury.

Hwang’s injury is bad news for the South Korean national team, which is set to play two A matches in September.

With Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) already ruled out of Klinsmann’s September A match due to a left quadriceps injury, the loss of Hwang Hee-chan, a key player in the flanking attack, is an emergency for the national team.

Cho Kyu-sung (Meatwillan), Klinsmann’s frontline resource, was also substituted in the first 20 minutes of the fifth round match on the 21st due to thigh pain and entered rehabilitation after a two-week diagnosis.

Earlier, striker Oh Hyun-kyu, who plays for Celtic in Scotland, also complained of calf pain during training on the sixth, and was diagnosed with a four- to six-week recovery time.

Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Kang-in, Cho Kyu-sung, and Oh Hyun-gyu are all major concerns for Klinsmann’s offense.

While the exact extent of Hwang’s injury has not been confirmed, it is unclear if he will be able to return to full fitness in time for Klinsmann’s first September A match against Wales (Sept. 8 at 3:45 a.m. KST).

Losing both Lee and Hwang would be a major blow to Klinsmann’s team, 먹튀검증 which hasn’t won in four matches (two draws and two defeats) since his arrival.