South Korea national soccer team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann has recalled midfielder Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan) to the squad following his detention in China.
Klinsmann announced the 23-man roster for the June A matches (Peru on June 16 and El Salvador on June 20) at the Jongno-gu Football Hall in Seoul on Friday.
Included in the roster is Son Jun-ho, who has been under investigation by public security forces in China’s Liaoning province since March 12.
While local media have reported Son’s possible involvement in match-fixing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has stated that he is being investigated for “soliciting non-state agents.
The KFA recently dispatched its chief executive officer, Jeon Han-jin, and the association’s lawyer to China to get an accurate picture of the situation.
Jeju United’s rising star Ahn Hyun-beom, Belgian international Hong Hyun-seok (Gent) and Ulsan midfielder Park Yong-woo were named to the squad for the first time.
The highly anticipated call-up of In-Joo Gyu (Ulsan) did not materialize.
The striker, who finished as the top scorer in K League 1 in 2021 (22 goals) and second in 2022 (17), was completely overlooked by his predecessor, Paulo Bento.
He continued his strong play this season, tying for the top scoring spot with eight goals, and seemed likely to receive a call-up from Klinsmann.
This is Klinsmann’s first de facto call-up since stepping foot on South Korean soil on March 8.
In his debut match in March, Klinsmann hadn’t had enough time to get to know the players, so he filled the roster with players who will be competing at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After failing to pick up a win in his debut with a 1-1 draw, Klinsmann will be looking for a victory in Masu-gil this month.
The national team, which convenes in Busan on the 12th, will face Peru on the 16th at 8pm at the Busan Asiad Stadium and El Salvador on the 20th at 8pm at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium.스포츠토토
Meanwhile, European players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who have returned home, will commute to and from Paju NFC (National Team Training Center) to train individually before the 12th to maintain their physical condition.