Football: Tottenham Hotspur’s Son to lead as South Korea aim to end Asian Cup drought - Football News
Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was named in South Korea's Asian Cup squad on Thursday and coach Jurgen Klinsmann said it was «about time» they ended their 64-year continental title drought.
Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, who scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season against Brentford on Wednesday, was also among Klinsmann's 26-man selection for the tournament, which kicks off in Qatar on January 12.
Son will captain a squad that includes Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and 22-year-old Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in.
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South Korea have not won the Asian Cup since 1960 and Klinsmann said: «It's all about timing now and I think we are ready for this big, big competition.
»It's 64 years — 64 years is a long time for Korea. It's about time that we get this done."
South Korea have been drawn in Group E and will face Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain in the first round.
They lost 1-0 to eventual champions Qatar in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Klinsmann, a World Cup winner with Germany in 1990, will have one of the strongest squads in the tournament in Qatar and he said he could «see it in their eyes that they are hungry for it».
«I have a good feeling because they're doing well at their clubs,» he said.
«They're healthy, they're fit, they're ambitious and they're very hungry. This is the foundation for playing a good tournament.»
Son will be appearing at his fourth Asian Cup and was part of the South Korea team that lost to hosts Australia in the 2015 final.
Hwang scored twice in Wolves' 4-1 win over Brentford to move one goal behind Son, who has 11, in the Premier League
