“If you can’t play in your team, you won’t be able to play in the national team…”

Tottenham Director Son Heung-min (center) and Morinho (left). [로이터=연합뉴스]

English Premier League Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho expressed negative connotation on the injured Sohn Heung-min (29)’s selection for the Korea-Japan match.

Head coach Morinho held a press conference on the 17th (Korea time) ahead of the second leg of the round of 16 with Dynamo Zagreb (Croatia) of the European Football Federation (UEFA). “If a player is injured and can’t play, it doesn’t matter whether it’s an evaluation match or an official match. If Son Heung-min continues to be injured next week, we will prove it to the Korea Football Association. If a player can’t play for his team, he can’t even play for the national team.”

Son Heung-min was injured in the left hamstring in 18 minutes in the first half in the Arsenal and Premier League rounds on the 15th. Afterwards, the Korean soccer team coach Paulo Bento included Son Heung-min in the national team list on the 15th, ahead of the Korea-Japan match to be held in Yokohama, Japan on the 25th.

The Korea Football Association said that it would determine whether or not to draw a game after confirming the exact injury of Son Heung-min in consultation with Tottenham. The rule of exemption from self-quarantine for elite athletes in the British government is’non-attendance’ as a rule, but Japan and Korea decided to receive 5,000 spectators. In the midst of this, coach Morinyu expressed difficulty in selecting Son Heung-min’s national team.

Director Mourinho also said on social media,’Son Heung-min cannot play against Zagreb. This weekend is also uncertain. In order for Son Heung-min to fully recover, I think he will have to rest until the A-match period.’

Reporter Park Lin [email protected]