“Come to Europe and challenge yourself!”
Jurgen Klinsmann (59), coach of the national soccer team, threw a short but powerful message to young blood.
According to a report by Scotland’s 메이저놀이터The Scotsman on the 16th (Korean time), coach Klinsman said, “Playing for Celtic and a big club is not easy for young players. Oh Hyun-kyu is competing for playing time and is drawing a big learning curve.” “I want to encourage young players to come to Europe and challenge themselves, to do their best and see where it goes,” he advised.
On this day, coach Klinsman intuited the face-to-face match between Celtic and Kilmarnock in the 32nd round of the Scottish League. It was to watch the game of Oh Hyeon-gyu (22, Celtic), striker of the national team. At this meeting, coach Klinsman recommended ‘Europe’ to the young players to go out and compete on a bigger stage with Oh Hyun-kyu’s praise.
As coach Klinsman advised, many Korean players have recently appeared on the European stage. Oh Hyun-gyu is a representative case. Oh Hyun-kyu, who played as a striker for his former team, Suwon Samsung, wore the Scottish prestigious Celtic uniform through the transfer market last winter. He accompanied the national team as a reserve team for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and after the tournament, he was the first to advance to Europe and set out for a new challenge. After transferring to Celtic, he has scored 3 goals (2 league goals and 1 goal in the cup competition).
Although he is not a starting member, he is Oh Hyun-kyu, who is growing rapidly amid fierce competition. He has learned a lot from playing and competing with world-class players. At the time of the national team convocation last month, Oh Hyun-kyu said, “I had a lot of experience going to Europe and learned a lot about soccer. I feel like I have grown as a player because I have new experiences.”
Oh Hyun-gyu also received a clear eye mark from coach Klinsman in his national team. Oh Hyun-kyu, who boarded the first class of the Klinsmann, played against Colombia and Uruguay in March. Oh Hyun-gyu shook the net coolly in the game against Uruguay, but unfortunately the goal was canceled due to an offside decision. Nonetheless, coach Klinsman at the time highly praised Oh Hyun-gyu, saying, “He can become a very good player.”
On this day, coach Klinsman also recalled, “Oh Hyun-kyu has a very special talent. He played with us in the last two matches against Colombia and Uruguay. He showed a very positive side.”
There are many young Europeans who are showing a strong image. Golden Boy Lee Kang-in (22, Mallorca) also played an active part in the Spanish league and grew into a league-class player. He entered the Spanish league from a very young age and is a representative European club that everyone knows, but he has also achieved tremendous growth. Lee Kang-in, who had difficulty competing for the starting position last season, is leading his team with 3 goals and 4 assists this season. He has risen to become a key ace recognized by everyone.
Lee Kang-in was at the center of the topic as rumors of a transfer to the English Premier League (EPL) broke out. Since last winter, it has been linked to Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton and Hove Albion, etc. On the 13th, Lee Kang-in’s agent, Javier Garrido, uploaded a photo of his visit to the big club Man City, and rumors of Lee Kang-in’s transfer became an issue in the local area. It means that he is a star that the world is paying attention to.
At the time of the convocation last month, coach Klinsman did not hide his expectations, saying, “Lee Kang-in is a high-level soccer player. It is an honor to coach such a young player.”
Hong Hyeon-seok (24), who plays for KAA Gent in the Belgian league, is also one of the players who are developing their presence on the European stage. Positioned as an attacking midfielder, he scored 5 goals and 5 assists in 30 league games this season. is a main member On the 14th, he left a good impression by starting in the Europa Conference League quarterfinal 1st leg (West Ham) and home game. He can become an important member of the Korean national team preparing for a generational change with the goal of the World Cup in North and Central America four years later.
In addition to this, ‘World Cup Star’ Cho Kyu-seong (25, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) also received love calls from European clubs last winter. Scotland’s Celtic and Germany’s Mainz were active in recruiting. After thinking about it, he stayed in Jeonbuk, but it is expected that he will try to advance to Europe again this summer. ‘Genius Lee Seung-woo (25, Suwon FC) is also considered a player who can knock on the European stage at any time. Coach Klinsman’s message is expected to resonate deeply with these players, who will be the main players of the national team.
Meanwhile, head coach Klinsman is currently touring various parts of Europe to check Korean players. On the 15th, I visited Tottenham’s home stadium in London, England, and watched ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham) play. In that game, Son Heung-min scored his 8th goal in the league. Coach Klinsman plans to meet Kim Min-jae (27, Naples) following Oh Hyun-kyu.
Kim Min-jae will not be able to play in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the European Champions League against AC Milan (Italy) on the 19th. This is because he received a yellow card in the first leg and received a cumulative warning penalty. However, as he complained of mental difficulties last month, he is expected to continue a serious meeting with coach Klinsman. Afterwards, coach Klinsman watches the matches of Lee Jae-seong (31, Mainz) and Jung Woo-young (24, Freiburg).