South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo expressed unwavering faith in captain Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC) despite the forward's failure to score a single field goal in nine competitive matches.
Speaking to reporters on June 24 (local time) ahead of the team's first training session in Milton Keynes, England — four days before a friendly against Ivory Coast — Hong said, "I am not worried because Son Heung-min has the time and role he has built up over the years."
"He fully knows what role he needs to play. It is extremely important that we properly judge the timing for his strengths to come out," Hong said. "However, he has a slight cold in terms of his condition, and that could be a variable."
Son, who plays in Major League Soccer (MLS), has been on a month-long goal drought since scoring his first goal of the season from a penalty kick in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round 1 on May 18.
Concerns have naturally emerged that the 33-year-old Son's aging curve may be accelerating.
However, the national team manager stepped in to address those concerns directly.
