PSG's Lee Kang-in is free to play at Asian Games: Klinsmann

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in will play in both Korean senior national team’s September friendlies and the Hangzhou Asian Games, national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann said last week.

Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in looks on during a Ligue 1 match against FC Lorient at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Aug. 12. [AFP/YONHAP]

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in will play in both Korean senior national team’s September friendlies and the Hangzhou Asian Games, national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann said last week.

In a video press conference last week that the Korea Football Association embargoed until Monday, Klinsmann said that he had personally spoken with PSG and found that Lee had included a clause in his contract that ensures he will get to play at the Asian Games next month.

With the Asian Games falling outside of the FIFA international break schedule, that means Lee will miss up to three weeks of PSG games following the September international break.

But for Lee that could be crucial, as the tournament is a chance for him to earn a mandatory military exemption if Korea wins a gold medal at the Asiad. Both Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich earned their exemptions from the 2018 tournament.

According to Klinsmann, Lee will join the U-24 Asiad squad after playing the senior team’s September friendlies that end on Sept. 12. The senior team is set to play two friendlies against Wales and Saudi Arabia in Britain.

That schedule will leave Lee only a week to train with the U-24 squad, with the young Taeguk Warriors playing their first Asiad match against Kuwait on Sept. 19.

The Asiad runs from Sept. 23 through Oct. 8, but the tournament’s football schedule begins four days early, as playing all football games in just 16 days puts excessive pressure on footballers’ stamina.

Klinsmann is confident that Lee will adapt to manager Hwang Sun-hong’s U-24 squad well, as he said that the PSG midfielder will be in better form after playing September friendlies.

Korean national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, top left, speaks during a video news conference with Korean media on Thursday. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

The upcoming friendlies in Britain will be Klinsmann’s first away games with Korea and his chance to earn his first victory, having gone winless in four matches to date. The friendly against Wales kicks off on Sept. 8 in Cardiff.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]