Koreans in Europe: Hwang Hee-chan out for six weeks with hamstring injury

Football

Published: 03 Mar. 2024, 08:42 Updated: 03 Mar. 2024, 16:25

Koreans in Europe: Hwang Hee-chan out for six weeks with hamstring injury

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan is substituted after sustaining an injury during an FA Cup fifth round game against Brighton at the Molineux in Wolverhampton on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hwang Hee-chan will be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil said Saturday.

“Channy had a tight hamstring at half-time last week and wanted to carry on and hurt it,” O’Neil said. “With a tight hamstring, we had no choice to make sure he was off and safe, and make sure we had enough to go again on another day.

“It’s approximately six weeks for Channy, which is obviously a disaster for where we are at this moment. Him and Cunha will probably be back around similar times, probably Cunha slightly earlier than Channy now, so losing Pedro today was far from ideal.

“The situation has been discussed a lot around transfer windows, and we have the best injury record in the league which is why we’ve been able to remain competitive, but it’s really hard to sustain that over the course of a season. We’re in a tough spell where we have injuries to players, and we need to find a way.”

The injury takes Hwang out of the squad for a good chunk of the remainder of the 2023-24 season, including an FA Cup quarterfinal against Crystal Palace later this month. Wolves are also currently without forward Matheus Cunha, who is also recovering from a hamstring injury.

The absence of the pair was visible on Saturday, when Wolves lost 3-0 to Newcastle on the road in Newcastle.

That game could prove devastating for the midlands squad, with goalkeeper José Sá and forward Pedro Neto — the last man standing from the Hwang-Cunha-Neto attacking trio that has proved very effective for Wolves this year — both going off with injuries at St. James’ Park.

“Obviously missing good players doesn’t help, but the boys that played did some really good bits,” O’Neil said after the game. “But to be missing Cunha and Channy [Hwang] is one thing, then add Joao Gomes to that, then Sa and Pedro [Neto] both off injured at half-time left us in the toughest position we’ve been in.

“I said this would be the toughest game of the season for us because of where we were, and what we’ve been through this week, and it turned out to be that. But in terms of a group willing to work, we looked like a really good side for a long spell when name-wise we were away from our best at this moment.”

Wolves have a week of rest before they take on Fulham in a home Premier League game next Saturday. Hwang and Cunha will not be available for that game, although Sa and Neto are likely to be back.

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