Back on nat'l team, teen midfielder Yang Min-hyeok ready to show finishing ability
Korea midfielder Yang Min-hyeok speaks to reporters before a training session at the National Football Center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Yonhap
Growing more confident with each passing match in England, Korean midfielder Yang Min-hyeok said Tuesday he is ready to demonstrate his ability to finish off chances around the goal.
Yang, 19, earned his first senior national team call-up since March, with Korea scheduled to face Bolivia on Friday and Ghana next Tuesday. The 19-year-old made his international debut in March and is now eager for more opportunity.
"I am very grateful to have been selected again," Yang told reporters before a training session at the National Football Center in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. "Now that I am back in such a precious spot, I feel like I have to work even harder."
Yang said he is in a much better spot than he had been in March. Back then, the Tottenham Hotspur property was just two months into his loan spell with Queens Park Rangers in the second-tier English Football League Championship. Yang moved to another Championship club, Portsmouth FC, in August, and has since scored twice in 10 matches in all competitions.
"When I was with the national team earlier this year, I thought I hadn't yet made a full adjustment to England," he said. "I've played a few more matches there now and I've grown more confident. So I can come into the national team feeling more comfortable."
With veteran midfielders Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan HD FC) all out with injuries, the onus will fall on the remaining midfielders like Yang to pick up the slack.
"I may not be able to replace all of them but I will try to capitalize on my strengths and help the team the best way I can," he said.
When pressed for what those strengths are, Yang replied, "I'd like to show my finishing ability for the national team. And if I am given the chance, I'd love to score goals."
Yang said playing in the Championship has taught him how to play with more of a physical edge.
"It's such a physically demanding league and I've had to match opponents' power," he said. "I've thought I need to be better in that area and I still have long ways to go."