Since arriving in Hangzhou for the Asian Games, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) has avoided answering questions about his physical condition.
“It’s always the same,” he laughed when asked about his injuries by reporters before the team’s training session at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium auxiliary stadium in Zhejiang province, China, on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s a secret!” he replied to the same question shortly after arriving at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport the previous day.
On the field, however, his demeanor was lighthearted.
After laughing and warming up with his teammates, Lee went to the center of the field and paired up with Park Kyu-hyun (Dynamo Dresden), Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk), Choi Joon (Busan), and Lee Han-beom (Meatwillan) for a ball-tossing drill.
With the exception of Lee Kang-in, the players were in good physical shape. Except for Park Kyu-hyun, who came on in the 35th minute, none of them stepped on the field against Thailand on the 21st.
In a drill that involved passing the ball all over the place with one ‘sulae’, Lee Kang-in was simply passing back and forth.
There was no indication of an injury.
However, there was no footage of Lee Kang-in sprinting or anything else that would require him to use his body’s ‘power’ in an instant.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong also switched the training to a closed session before the full program of sprints and mini-games began.
Lee, who suffered a sudden left quadriceps injury on March 22, did not even join Jürgen Klinsmann’s A team during the September A match to focus on his recovery.
Concerns grew over whether he would be fit enough to join the Asian Games squad, but fortunately, Lee recovered in time.
On the morning of the 20th, Lee came on in the 35th minute of the first leg of the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group F match against Borussia Dortmund (Germany) and played 10 minutes.
Hwang will play his final Group E match on Thursday against Bahrain.
With two wins already under his belt and a spot in the round of 16 secured, the Bahrain game is a chance to “test drive” different combinations, win or lose.
Lee Kang-in, who will be joining the team for the first time since June last year, will need to get some ‘practice’ to get used to his teammates.
However, Hwang said his first priority is to check Lee’s physical condition.
At a press conference after the 4-0 win over Thailand the previous day, Hwang was asked by Chinese media when Lee Kang-jin would play, and he replied, “We need to check his (Lee Kang-jin’s) physical condition.” “It’s too early to talk about it here,” he said. 파워볼게임