Seoul (AFP) – South Korea's coach backed Son Heung-min to get back to goalscoring ways at his fourth World Cup after on Saturday naming the striker in his squad for the tournament.
Issued on: 16/05/2026 - 10:48
2 min Reading time
Captain Son has struggled for goals since swapping English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer a year ago.The 33-year-old has scored only twice for his new club but Hong Myung-bo thinks a change of scenery could help as South Korea face World Cup co-hosts Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Africa in Group A."When I went to Los Angeles and watched the matches myself, I saw that he was playing in a somewhat different role compared to how we use him, in a slightly deeper position, which meant he wasn't getting many chances," Hong said after naming his 26-man squad."So I believe we need to continue communicating with the players and work together on identifying which positions and roles are the most suitable and effective for each of them as we prepare."Son heads an experienced Korean squad that also features Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan.Besiktas striker Oh Hyeon-gyu was also included, along with Celtic's Yang Hyun-jin and Birmingham's Paik Seung-ho.German-born Jens Castrop of Borussia Moenchengladbach also made the cut.
