South Korea head coach Paulo Bento has confirmed that he will include the injured Son Heung-min in the team’s World Cup squad heading to Qatar.
Bento, however, said that he is unsure whether Son who is the team’s captain will be fit for the country’s first match against Uruguay.
The Tottenham forward underwent successful surgery to repair an eye socket fracture suffered in the 2-1 Champions League win over Marseille nine days ago.
Bento rubbished concerns about Son missing the World Cup, affirming that he will be selected while giving time to recover.
“Of course, he’s going to be selected,” Bento told reporters, adding that there was no ‘Plan B’.
“It’s a situation that’s going to demand certain things and adaptations. We should let him come and do what he should do. And after that, we have time to make the right decision and best decisions for all of us.
“For us, it’s something normal from Sonny. We already had other moments where he was injured and he wanted to play. So it’s not a surprise at all for us.”
Son on his Instagram page on Wednesday wrote that playing in the World Cup was his childhood dream and that he “can’t wait to represent our beautiful country”.
The hopes of South Korea at the World Cup will rest heavily on captain Son, who has scored 35 goals in 104 appearances for his country.
The Taegeuk Warriors kick off its campaign on Nov. 24 against Uruguay and will also face Ghana and Portugal in Group H.
