Heung-min’s Spurs run-out boosts S. Korea’s World Cup hopes

SEOUL: South Korea’s hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup have received a huge boost after talismanic forward Son Heung-min made a surprise appearance for English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Heung-min broke his right forearm on international duty in June and had been expected to miss about three months of action, potentially ruling him out of the Koreans’ last two qualifiers against Iran on Aug 31 and Uzbekistan five days later.

However, with the dynamic wide man coming off the bench in Spurs’ 2-0 win over Newcastle, South Korea coach Shin Tae-yong was hopeful Heung-min would be fighting fit for the upcoming Asian qualifiers.

“He looked a lot better than I’d expected, though he still seemed a bit careful in physical battles,” Yonhap News agency quoted Taeyong as saying on yesterday.

“I wasn’t sure if he would even be on the bench for the match. If he gets a couple more matches under his belt, then I am sure he’ll be even better.”

South Korea are second in Group A, seven points behind the already qualified Iran but only a point above third-placed Uzbekistan, who next play China away.

Only the top two from the group qualify automatically for Russia in 2018, while third earns a playoff against the third-placed team in Group B and another playoff against a side from the North American, Central American and Caribbean region.

Tae-yong, who replaced Uli Stielike as coach in June, also included Ki Sung-yueng in his 26-man squad, despite the Swansea midfielder not expected to recover from a knee injury until mid-September.

Tae-yong has said Subg-yueng’s experience on and off the pitch is invaluable for the team and he would include him in the squad regardless of his fitness.