Hwang Hee-chan looks confident in Wolves' 1-1 draw with Aston Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan in action against Aston Villa's Lucas Digne at Villa Park in Birmingham on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hwang Hee-chan retained his spot in the Wolverhampton Wanderers starting lineup on Wednesday, playing 59 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Hwang put in a tireless first half, living up to his old “The Bull” nickname with a relentless performance that more than justified his spot in the squad, even if he didn’t make it on to the scoreboard.

Wolves sole goal of the game came from Daniel Podence in the 12th minute, with João Moutinho providing the assist. Wolves then led for most of the rest of the game, until Danny Ings tied things up 12 minutes before the whistle.

Wednesday’s start was yet another positive sign for Hwang, who has seen far more minutes on the pitch since new manager Julen Lopetegui took the helm at the end of November.

Hwang has appeared in all four Wolves games since Lopetegui took over, playing the full 90 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday for the first time this season. While he still has not broken a scoreless run that has lasted since February, Hwang has been noticeably more active and was directly involved in both goals against Gillingham in the Carabao Cup on Dec. 20.

Hwang’s long dry spell with Wolves and struggle to fit into the squad and perhaps to fit in with former manager Bruno Lage, as his performance with the club never matched his success with the Korean national team.

Hwang is a Taeguk Warriors regular, appearing in almost every game as either a starter or a fresh pair of legs in the second half.

He had made four appearances for Korea this year before the World Cup, appearing for at least 60 minutes in every game he was available for and scoring two goals; against Chile on June 6 and Costa Rica on Sept. 23.

In Qatar, Hwang was only able to appear in two games as he struggled with a hamstring injury going into the tournament. He made those appearances count, coming on as a substitute against Portugal to score an injury time goal that carried Korea out of the group stage and into the round of 16.

Lopetegui, however, seems far more willing to give Hwang a chance and the decision seems to be paying off. Wolves have won two, drawn one and lost once since the Spanish manager took control.

Wolves get just a few days rest before their back in action on Saturday with the second big challenge of Lopetegui’s leadership — facing Liverpool on the road in Anfield in the FA Cup.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]