While Paris Saint-Germain allowed Lee Kang-in to be selected for the Asian Games, 토토사이트 French media expressed concerns about Lee Kang-in’s participation in the Asian Games. 

French media ‘Foot Sur 7’ reported on the 15th (Korean time), “Lee Kang-in will be absent from PSG for a while due to the Asian Games. It is not clear whether this departure will help him.”

Lee Kang-in was confirmed to be selected for the Hangzhou Asian Games on the 15th. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said on the 15th, “As a result of discussions with Lee Kang-in’s team, Paris Saint-Germain, Lee Kang-in will join the Asian Games national team after PSG’s UEFA Champions League home game against Dortmund on the 19th, French local time. “A final agreement was reached on the night of the 14th, Korean time. Accordingly, Lee Kang-in plans to move to Hangzhou, China, on the 20th, French local time, to join the Asian Games national team,” the official announcement said.

He continued, “After receiving an email from the PSG club on the 13th asking for permission to be selected for the Asian Games on the condition that the Asian Cup selection schedule be adjusted, KFA consulted with the club until late at night on the 14th, and ultimately selected the Asian Games national team on the 20th without any other preconditions. “I received an official response from the PSG club on the night of the 14th saying that they would allow me to join,” he said, also revealing why it took time to make the decision to send him. 

Lee Kang-in had been absent due to injury since the last match against Toulouse, but recently returned to team training. Lee Kang-in, who suffered an injury in the pre-season and received mixed attention, succeeded in recovering faster than originally expected. The club also welcomed Lee Kang-in’s return and even released a video on its official SNS. However, with this selection, Lee Kang-in will not be able to appear in PSG games for the time being after the games against Nice on the 16th and Dortmund on the 20th. 

It is unfortunate that Lee Kang-in’s selection came after the first game, but it is fortunate for Hwang Seon-hong-ho that he can immediately consider using Lee Kang-in from the second game. Previously, Director Hwang showed a strong will to select Lee Kang-in, and announced at the time of announcing the final list that he was already thinking about ways to utilize Lee Kang-in. 

Hwang Seon-hong will play the first group match against Kuwait from the Middle East at Jinhua Stadium in China at 8:30 pm on the 19th, and the second match of the group match against Thailand from Southeast Asia at the same time on the 21st. The final game will be played against Bahrain in the Middle East at the same time on the 24th. The national team plans to challenge for three consecutive gold medals following the 2014 Incheon Games and the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Games, and the addition of Lee Kang-in is expected to be a great help.

However, unlike the Korean national team, which was put on hold due to the addition of Lee Kang-in, there are quite a few concerns regarding the competition between PSG and Lee Kang-in for the starting spot. 

‘Foot Sur 7’ said, “Lee Kang-in has taken a big risk at PSG. Lee Kang-in has not yet proven his skills at PSG and is still a bit far from showing his strengths. He is a confident player in Luis Enrique’s group. “I imagine competing for a spot, but I’m preparing to miss a few more games while participating in the Asian Games with the Korean national team,” he said, noting that Lee Kang-in has yet to show the skills to compete for a starting spot. 

He continued, “The looming problem for Lee Kang-in is the unification of the PSG best 11. Obviously, he will have less time than other players to convince coach Enrique to have confidence in him. “Leaving even for two weeks is a big risk,” he said, adding that being selected for the Asian Games could have a negative impact on the competition for the starting spot. 

In fact, PSG is currently in a situation where the positions of Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery are fixed among the midfield resources, and Vitinha, Lee Kang-in, Fabian Luis, and Marco Asensio must compete for the remaining spots. Among them, even if Asensio is left out as a central attack resource, three people must compete for one spot. In such fierce competition, if Lee Kang-in loses his position by missing the early league and Champions League games, it could be a big risk as mentioned by Footsur7. there is. 

However, unlike the Korean national team, which was put on hold due to the addition of Lee Kang-in, there are quite a few concerns regarding the competition between PSG and Lee Kang-in for the starting spot. 

‘Foot Sur 7’ said, “Lee Kang-in has taken a big risk at PSG. Lee Kang-in has not yet proven his skills at PSG and is still a bit far from showing his strengths. He is a confident player in Luis Enrique’s group. “I imagine competing for a spot, but I’m preparing to miss a few more games while participating in the Asian Games with the Korean national team,” he said, noting that Lee Kang-in has yet to show the skills to compete for a starting spot. 

He continued, “The looming problem for Lee Kang-in is the unification of the PSG best 11. Obviously, he will have less time than other players to convince coach Enrique to have confidence in him. “Leaving even for two weeks is a big risk,” he said, adding that being selected for the Asian Games could have a negative impact on the competition for the starting spot. 

In fact, PSG is currently in a situation where the positions of Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery are fixed among the midfield resources, and Vitinha, Lee Kang-in, Fabian Luis, and Marco Asensio must compete for the remaining spots. Among them, even if Asensio is left out as a central attack resource, three people must compete for one spot. In such fierce competition, if Lee Kang-in loses his position by missing the early league and Champions League games, it could be a big risk as mentioned by Footsur7. there is. 

However, unlike the Korean national team, which was put on hold due to the addition of Lee Kang-in, there are quite a few concerns regarding the competition between PSG and Lee Kang-in for the starting spot. 

‘Foot Sur 7’ said, “Lee Kang-in has taken a big risk at PSG. Lee Kang-in has not yet proven his skills at PSG and is still a bit far from showing his strengths. He is a confident player in Luis Enrique’s group. “I imagine competing for a spot, but I’m preparing to miss a few more games while participating in the Asian Games with the Korean national team,” he said, noting that Lee Kang-in has yet to show the skills to compete for a starting spot. 

He continued, “The looming problem for Lee Kang-in is the unification of the PSG best 11. Obviously, he will have less time than other players to convince coach Enrique to have confidence in him. “Leaving even for two weeks is a big risk,” he said, adding that being selected for the Asian Games could have a negative impact on the competition for the starting spot. 

In fact, PSG is currently in a situation where the positions of Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery are fixed among the midfield resources, and Vitinha, Lee Kang-in, Fabian Luis, and Marco Asensio must compete for the remaining spots. Among them, even if Asensio is left out as a central attack resource, three people must compete for one spot. In such fierce competition, if Lee Kang-in loses his position by missing the early league and Champions League games, it could be a big risk as mentioned by Footsur7. there is. 

However, unlike the Korean national team, which was put on hold due to the addition of Lee Kang-in, there are quite a few concerns regarding the competition between PSG and Lee Kang-in for the starting spot. 

‘Foot Sur 7’ said, “Lee Kang-in has taken a big risk at PSG. Lee Kang-in has not yet proven his skills at PSG and is still a bit far from showing his strengths. He is a confident player in Luis Enrique’s group. “I imagine competing for a spot, but I’m preparing to miss a few more games while participating in the Asian Games with the Korean national team,” he said, noting that Lee Kang-in has yet to show the skills to compete for a starting spot. 

He continued, “The looming problem for Lee Kang-in is the unification of the PSG best 11. Obviously, he will have less time than other players to convince coach Enrique to have confidence in him. “Leaving even for two weeks is a big risk,” he said, adding that being selected for the Asian Games could have a negative impact on the competition for the starting spot. 

In fact, PSG is currently in a situation where the positions of Manuel Ugarte and Warren Zaire-Emery are fixed among the midfield resources, and Vitinha, Lee Kang-in, Fabian Luis, and Marco Asensio must compete for the remaining spots. Among them, even if Asensio is left out as a central attack resource, three people must compete for one spot. In such fierce competition, if Lee Kang-in loses his position by missing the early league and Champions League games, it could be a big risk as mentioned by Footsur7. there is. 

Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games is also very important to Lee Kang-in. This is because it is a competition where athletes, if they win a medal, receive only basic military training and are exempt from military service in accordance with the Military Service Act. Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, who received military service benefits for winning gold medals in the last tournament, have since continued their European careers with military training. 

However, regardless of the results of the Asian Games, if he falls behind in the competition for PSG’s starting role, his playing time with his team may be greatly reduced. PSG is a team that must take care of results in both the league and the Champions League, so it is not easy to give bench resources a lot of playing time. Also, in the worst case scenario, he could miss out on the Asian Games gold medal and the opportunity to compete as a starting player, so the impact of this selection is expected to be significant.

Of course, regardless of the media’s concerns, the competition for the starting position is not in serious danger right now. This is because it is difficult to judge that Vitinya and Luis’ performances are still very good. It is difficult to expect the two players to be solid starters like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Ugarte.

In addition, Coach Enrique also said about Lee Kang-in during his previous visit to Korea, “I think he is a complete player based on his training, has good temperament, and is very good physically. He is a player who is a pleasure to watch, and he performs well on the pitch in all aspects, whether in the center or on the side. “I think he can play. I am very satisfied with having Lee Kang-in,” he said, expressing strong expectations, so there is a good possibility that Lee Kang-in will be used despite his absence at the beginning of the season.

Meanwhile, a situation that can be compared to Lee Kang-in’s selection for the Asian Games is Son Heung-min’s situation ahead of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. 

Son Heung-min was starting his second season with Bayer Leverkusen in 2014. The Asian Games national team led by coach Lee Gwang-jong wanted Son Heung-min, who plays as a starter at Leverkusen, a top-tier Bundesliga team, to join and requested a call-up from Leverkusen. 

However, unlike PSG, Leverkusen refused to call up Son Heung-min. Leverkusen conveyed their refusal to KFA, saying, “Son Heung-min is an important player for Leverkusen. With the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League matches ahead, we cannot send Son Heung-min considering the team’s strength.” 

Since the Asian Games were not sponsored by FIFA, it was not a mandatory call-up, and Leverkusen decided not to allow the call-up despite KFA and Son Heung-min’s earnest requests for cooperation, and he ended up remaining in the team. It is known that Leverkusen felt pressured to give up key striker Son Heung-min because they have to play important games such as the league and UEFA Champions League playoffs. At the time, the association even requested to join the round of 16 after the playoffs, but even this was rejected.

However, it was a year for Son Heung-min to make a clear leap forward as a starting player. Although Son Heung-min showed ups and downs at times in the 2014/15 league season, he performed well enough to be selected as Team of the Week in the 2nd round of the Champions League group stage and Team of the Week in the 4th round, and Leverkusen advanced to the round of 16 with Son Heung-min’s performance. It was also successful. Afterwards, he continued to score goals in the league.

Son Heung-min, who started 28 league games and 7 Champions League games this season, scored 17 goals and 3 assists in official games. Based on his performance in the 2014/15 season, Son Heung-min moved to Tottenham Hotspur the following season, and has remained active at Tottenham to this day, leaving his mark in Tottenham history as a captain and ace. 

As such, being able to receive exemption from military service by being selected for the Asian Games is a big advantage in a player’s career, but the time to adapt to the team and secure a starting position is limited, so what will be the consequences of this selection in Lee Kang-in’s PSG player career? This is an area that requires great attention.

While interest in the Asian Games national team has increased with Lee Kang-in’s selection, interest in the results of the Asian Games and the changed team situation that Lee Kang-in will face afterward is expected to continue.

Afterwards, the Korean national team won the championship at the Incheon Asian Games, and it was a huge regret that Son Heung-min did not receive an exemption from military service.