Injured Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan to undergo treatment in S. Korea

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean World Cup hero Hwang Hee-chan will return home this week to treat an injury he sustained in a recent Premier League match, sources said Tuesday.

Hwang, forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers, picked up his injury during a Premier League match against Liverpool on Saturday. He pulled up lame grabbing the back of his right thigh, as he tried to sprint down the flank late in the first half, and was forced to come off.

Sources said Hwang was set to arrive back in South Korea later Tuesday for a second opinion and treatment, and then return to England on the weekend.

Hwang had also missed about two months with a hamstring injury, starting December 2021. He dealt with a left hamstring injury in the leadup to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year but recovered in time to score the go-ahead goal in South Korea's 2-1 victory over Portugal in the group stage, a stunner that sent the Taegeuk Warriors to the round of 16.

After spending much of the early part of the season on the bench, Hwang had made six consecutive starts under new head coach Julen Lopetegui before suffering the untimely injury.

Following the Liverpool match, Lopetegui said the team would be without Hwang "for a lot of weeks."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)