Lee Kang-in called up for Asian Games in September

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in was named to the Korean squad for the Asian Games on Friday, although whether he will actually be available for the tournament that falls outside of the scheduled FIFA international breaks remains unclear.

Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in, left, warms up next to Brazilian teammate Neymar during a Paris Saint-Germain training session in a still from a video released by the club on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in was named to the Korean squad for the Asian Games on Friday, although whether he will actually be available for the tournament that falls outside of the scheduled FIFA international breaks remains unclear.

Lee was one of 22 players named to head coach Hwang Sun-hong’s roster for the Asiad, although it was made clear that PSG have not yet agreed to make him available. The Asian Games runs from Sept. 23 through Oct. 8, directly between the Sept. 4 to 12 and Oct. 9 to 17 international breaks.

"We had almost completed negotiations with Kang-in's former team Mallorca, but since he just joined PSG, we have to talk with them more," Hwang said at a press conference at Korea Football Association House in central Seoul.

"He really wants to play for the country and we have high expectations for him. I am hopeful that things will go our way."

Lee was one of four Europe-based players named to the U-24 squad, alongside KAA Gent midfielder Hong Hyun-seok, VfB Stuttgart midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong and Dynamo Dresden defender Park Kyu-hyun. Agreements are already in place to allow the three to play, including Jeong who only joined Stuttgart this week.

With the Asiad squad limited to players 24 and under — increased one year from U-23 due to the Covid-19 delay — Hwang also had three wildcard picks to allow older players to join the squad.

While in the past those spots might have gone to Korea’s biggest stars like Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, the lack of an international break left Hwang looking closer to home for available players.

The three wildcard spots went to attacking midfielder and regular national team pick Paik Seung-ho, his Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors teammate Park Jin-seob and Ulsan Hyundai defender Seol Young-woo.

"Since they're teammates, I expect Park Jin-seob and Paik Seung-ho to create positive synergy together," Hwang said. "We all know the importance of fullbacks in modern football, and Seol Young-woo can play as both left and right fullback. We have high expectations for him."

The three goalkeeper spots on the Asiad squad went to Lee Gwang-yeon of Gangwon FC, Min Seong-jun of Incheon United and Kim Jeong-hoon of Jeonbuk.

In defense, Seol and Park Kyu-hyun are joined by Lee Jae-ik of Seoul E-Land, Lee Han-beom of FC Seoul, Lee Sang-min of Seongnam, Hwang Jae-won of Daegu FC and Choi Jun of Busan iPark.

Lee Kang-in leads the midfield with Hong, Jeong, Paik and Park Jin-seob, alongside Jung Ho-yeon of Gwangju FC, Song Min-kyu of Jeonbuk, Goh Young-joon of the Pohang Steelers, Um Won-sang of Ulsan Hyundai and Cho Young-wook of Gimcheon Sangmu.

With the vast majority of the midfield used to playing in offensive roles, Hwang named just two forward picks to the squad; Park Jae-yong of FC Anyang and An Jae-jun of Bucheon FC 1995.

"I have complete faith in these players, and I will take full responsibility for our results," Hwang said in the press conference Friday. "I want to create an environment where they will go out there and have fun playing. We will work together as a team to achieve our goal."

The Asian Games is of particular important to young Korean players as it not only offers a chance to show what they’ve got on a fairly major international stage, but is one of few tournaments that comes with the opportunity of earning a military exemption.

If a Korean team wins the Asiad, all medal-winning players be granted an exemption from Korea’s mandatory military service, allowing them to continue their career uninterrupted with only a few weeks of basic training required.

A number of the current senior Korean players including Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min earned their military exemption with a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.

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