It’s his second injury since arriving in Paris.
“Tuesday’s medical update focuses on Lee Kang-in,” Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced on the club’s website. He sustained an injury to his left quadriceps and will receive treatment until at least the end of the A-match break.”
The news about Lee Kang-in is met with mixed feelings. According to the French publication L’Equipe, “PSG have received some bad news ahead of their match against Reims in the third round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1. It has been officially announced that South Korean international midfielder Lee Kang-in has suffered a quadriceps injury.”
“Lee will be out of action until at least mid-September and will miss key games,” the ‘France Blue’ added. It’s a blow for PSG, he won’t be on the field for at least a month. PSG will play Reims without him and he will also miss the trip to Lyon.”
French Football Weekly wrote: “Lee Kang-in is injured again! He has already suffered one injury this summer. He will miss both games against Reims and Olympique Lyonnais. His availability for Nice after the international break is also uncertain. “It’s a big problem for Luis Enrique,” he said.
“Get French Football News” said, “Lee Kang-in will be out until the A-match break. He has made a positive start since joining PSG from Mallorca and has started all two league games. While Enrique was struggling, Lee was impressive. However, he missed the games against Reims and Lyon with a quadriceps injury and could miss the game against Nice depending on his recovery. Enrique will be hoping that he can return as soon as possible.”
Last season, Lee Kang-in was Mallorca itself. He dominated the Spanish La Liga stage with his breakaway runs, darting dribbles, and sharp link-ups. He shone in partnership with striker Bedat Murki, but his ability to finish on his own has also grown significantly.
His dribbling, in particular, is among the best in all of Europe’s top five leagues. According to soccer statistics site Fúscore.com, Lee made a whopping 90 successful dribbles last season. This was good enough for fourth place in all five major European leagues, behind “World Class” Vinicius Junior (112), “GOAT” Messi (102), and “French Ligue 1 prospect” Jeremy Dockoo (96).
At the end of the season, transfer rumors began to circulate. While a move to Atletico Madrid seemed likely, the next stop was France. After the appointment of Enrique, PSG announced the signings of Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, and Manuel Ugarte, followed by Lee Kang-in. PSG, who are aiming for the ‘big one’ (UCL trophy), signed Lee as a hidden card.
‘Ouest France’ highlighted Lee, who may be unfamiliar to French fans, saying, “PSG is about to sign Lee Kang-in. He is not widely known in France. Let’s take a look at five things you need to know about him.”
The first point is ‘flying shot’. “Born in Incheon, South Korea, Lee started playing soccer as a child. He participated in the TV program ‘Fly, Shoot, Doll’. He even did a commercial with Manchester United and Korean icon Park Ji-Sung. When he was only 10 years old, he traveled to Spain and joined the Valencia academy.” He shed light on his childhood.
Next is the ‘Valencia years’. “Lee made his debut in the Spanish La Liga in January 2019 and made his first appearance in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) in the same season. In the 2019-20 season, he also played in the Champions League (UCL), facing Chelsea and Lille. Due to financial difficulties, Valencia decided to let Lee leave in the summer of 2021.”
The third is for his performance at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. “The versatile Lee Kang-in has been in the spotlight since the beginning of his career. He was a complete success at the U-20 World Cup in Poland. He scored two goals and provided four assists to lead South Korea to the final. Despite losing to Ukraine, Lee was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.”
There was also talk of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “His debut with the A team came quickly, and as an excellent joker, Lee got his chance against Portugal in the final group game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. He was very active and contributed to South Korea’s victory. However, he remained on the bench against Brazil in the Round of 16, playing only the last 15 minutes.”
The last one is ‘Marseille transfer rumors’. ‘Ouest France’ said, “In the summer of 2020, Lee Kang-in was linked to PSG rivals Marseille. Marseille, who were in the UCL at the time, were looking to bolster their squad on the cheap and considered loaning Lee. However, the deal fell through. Now, Lee will be wearing a PSG shirt,” he said.
But trials came soon after his arrival. He was injured in a friendly against Le Havre prior to the preseason tour. Lee missed the matches against Al Nasr, Cerezo Osaka, and Inter Milan in Japan before returning to action against Jeonbuk Hyundai in South Korea.
“I think I was able to play this game because of the fans who showed me great love and support in such hot weather. Thank you for supporting the team at the airport, hotel, open training, and stadium,” Lee said on social media. “I will do my best to show you a good performance this season,” he concluded, “and I wish you all the best in the heat.
Upon his return to France, Lee was immediately given a chance. He started on the wing against Lorient on the opening day. While Asensio and Gonzalo Higuain were underwhelming up front, Lee was different. In terms of key stats alone, he has a huge presence. 88% passing success rate (59 attempts – 52 successful), 1 key pass, 66% dribbling success rate (3 attempts – 2 successful), 60% long ball success rate (5 attempts – 3 successful), 0.12 expected goals (xG), and 0.55 expected assists (xA). Lee had a successful debut, being named THE PLAYER by the Ligue 1 secretariat.
The second-round match against Toulouse was a bit of a struggle, with Lee playing 51 minutes on the pitch as a left wing-forward and not getting many chances on the ball. This was in stark contrast to his performance against Lorient. He was replaced by Kylian Mbappe with little offensive benefit. Key stats include a 79% passing success rate (19 attempts – 15 successful), two key passes, and an xA of 0.29.
Injury has struck again for Lee, who has started two games in a row. It’s frustrating for PSG, who are still without a win.
The loss of Lee Kang-in would be devastating for South Korea. He is expected to miss both the Wales game on Aug. 8 and the Saudi Arabia game on Aug. 13. Worse still, it could affect the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. PSG’s official announcement only mentioned the Reims and Lyon games, but some are concerned that he could miss the Nice game on the 17th.
For both Jürgen Klinsmann’s A team and Hwang Sun-hong’s Asian Games squad, Lee is a key player. “I spoke with PSG,” Klinsmann said in a non-personal interview. I heard that they were clever enough to put a clause in the contract that the club has to respond if he is called up for the Asian Games. It shouldn’t be a problem (to play in the Asian Games). It will be more effective if he plays at a high level for the A team in the September A matches in Wales and Saudi Arabia and then goes to the Asian Games team. And for Lee Kang-in, the end goal is to go to China and do something big (win gold). He has the ability, so even if he joins the Asian Games team after playing A matches, he will adapt quickly,” he said, showing his willingness to pick Lee Kang-in despite the controversy over the duplicate call-up.
“Lee Kang-in’s determination to participate in the Asian Games is very strong,” said Hwang. We had finalized the transfer with Mallorca. But with the PSG transfer happening so quickly, we have to coordinate. We have to coordinate because (Lee) is very determined and we are still working together. We are very positive and looking forward to it. We have a Plan A position and a Plan B position. We need to communicate with the player and coordinate. Of course, he is a good player and his individual ability is important. Lee Kang-in is very wise and I think he is fully aware of that,” he said, adding that he plans to use him in the Asian Games. 카지노
As it stands now, he is likely to miss the September A match and the Asian Games could be tough. PSG may be reluctant to send Lee to the Asian Games, where they are not obliged to play him if he is injured again. The second injury since arriving in France has left PSG, Klinsmann and Hwang embarrassed.