Wanderer‘s Lee likely to return to action

By Cho Mu-hyun

It looks like Bolton Wanderers’ midfielder Lee Chong-yong could return to action sooner than expected.

The winger has been absent since August after suffering a double-fracture to his right leg during a preseason match against Newport County.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle spoke of the status of his injured players in an interview posted on the team’s official website on Friday (KST), and mentioned the “Blue Dragon.”

“Lee Chong-yong has done some light training on the grass,” said Coyle. “With the nature of Chong-yong’s injury, he has to build up his confidence.”

The 45-year-old manager expects Lee to be involved with squad training within “a couple of weeks,” but also stressed the importance of bringing him “back at the right time.”

“We wish we had him and Stuart (Holden) back because they are top players,” he added.

Lee’s smooth recovery process was hinted at when he appeared at the Feb. 2 home game against Arsenal, greeting fans at the Reebok Stadium.

According to his agency TI Sports, they anticipate he will start in reserve games as early as next month to regain match fitness. He has only played in the reserves twice since he joined the Trotters, and is expected to be available for the first team around April.

“Considering the remaining schedule, we expect him to play four to five Premier League games, and going in near the end as a substitute in two or three of them,” said a TI sports associate according to Sports Seoul.

Bolton is currently one place off bottom in 19th in the English Premier League on just 20 points from 6 wins and 2 draws with 17 losses. They were beaten 2-1 by last-placed Wigan Athletic in their previous outing and are in desperate need of wins to stay in the top flight. However, they are only a point behind Blackburn in 17th, and have 13 league fixtures left to avoid relegation.

Lee is one of the most successful footballers to come out of Korea. A prodigy from his youth, he made his debut with FC Seoul in 2004 and gained recognition alongside teammate Ki Sung-yueng. The duo were dubbed “Double Dragon” for their year of birth and name, and the stellar team play they showed while with the K-League club.

Lee joined Bolton in 2009, and had 9 goals and 16 assists in two seasons until his injury.

He returned to Korea briefly near the end of last year to celebrate the holidays with his family and returned to Bolton in January to continue his rehabilitation.