Park’s Hobbled Knee Concerns Huh
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Many believe South Korea's hopes for a seventh consecutive World Cup berth rest on the shoulders of industrious Manchester United winger Park Ji-sung. Now, only if his knees could cooperate.
Park, currently on the South Korean roster for the World Cup qualifiers, was excused from practice Tuesday at the team's training camp in Istanbul, Turkey, after experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired right knee.
Although team doctors said they found no problems with the knee that couldn't be cured by resting a day or two, Park's fitness scare could result in a massive pile of shredded fingernails on the South Korean bench.
It is the same knee that kept Park out for nine months after the 2006-2007 season and the injury remains a concern.
South Korea manager Huh Jung-moo would shudder at the thought of having Park at less than 100 percent when his team is already disappointingly short on goals, action and creativity.
Shin Dong-eun, the team doctor for the national football squad, played down Park's injury concerns, stressing to reporters to differentiate between ``discomfort" and ``pain."
``He is not feeling pain, but the player says he is experiencing discomfort, so we are putting his knee under light rehab treatment," Shin said, adding that Park also developed mild arthritis in the knee.
``It's not that he is injured again, but the surgically repaired knee seems to be reacting to fatigue," the doctor said. ``I think he will be OK after a day's rest.''
The absence of Park would leave a big hole in the national team, where he doubles as a creator and scorer. A relief to Huh is that he probably won't be needing Park in Saturday's road match against lowly Turkmenistan, which was drubbed 4-0 by the Koreans in Seoul in their first match in February.
South Korea is currently atop Group 3 with eight points, leading North Korea by goal difference, while Jordan is a distant third with four points and Turkmenistan stuck at the bottom.
A win Saturday would all but assure the South Koreans to be included among the group's two teams advancing to the final phase of the World Cup qualifiers.
If Park is not available against Turkmenistan, West Bromwich Albion midfielder Kim Doo-hyun looks as his most logical replacement in the free-roaming role behind the main striker.
Kim lacks Park's pace and flair but is a solid distributor who reads the game well and is also known for his set-piece prowess.
At least for now, Lee Keun-ho, Kim and Lee Chung-young forming the bank of three behind Park Chu-young looks good enough for Huh, although he might feel the urge to somehow involve Ahn Jung-hwan, who never should have made the team in the first place.
``I am not getting many minutes under Huh, but I don't mind, as the team selection is solely his authority," said Kim.
``But it would be great if I can start and develop a rhythm with my teammates, which would be harder to do if I come off the bench."