Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan receives medical treatment before leaving the pitch with an injury during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, Saturday. AFP-Yonhap
Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan will be sidelined for several weeks with a calf injury, his club Wolverhampton Wanderers has said, dealing a blow to both the Premier League side and the Korean national team less than four months before the 2026 World Cup kicks off.
"Channy (Hwang) is out, and it'll be a few weeks. It's his calf," club manager Rob Edwards told reporters Tuesday (local time) ahead of his team's Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Thursday. "We'll rescan again in a couple of weeks and see where he's at. But he'll probably be a number of weeks."
The 30-year-old left the pitch clutching his leg in the first half of the 3-1 loss to Chelsea on Sunday at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton and was replaced by Ladislav Krejci.
Hwang, known for his strength and direct attacking play, has struggled with frequent injuries in recent seasons. He was also sidelined late last year following a similar calf injury sustained during his national team duty in October.
His absence could also unsettle Korea's World Cup preparations. The national team is set to take on Ivory Coast in a friendly in Britain next month before facing Austria in Vienna.
Source: Korea Times News
