It’s his second injury since arriving in Paris.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced on their website on the 22nd that “Tuesday’s medical update focuses on Lee Kang-in. He sustained an injury to his left quadriceps and will receive treatment until at least the end of the A-match break.”

The news of Lee Kang-in was met with mixed feelings. According to the French publication L’Equipe, “PSG have received some bad news ahead of their match against Reims in the third round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1. It has been officially announced that South Korea international midfielder Lee Kang-in has suffered a quadriceps injury.안전놀이터“

“Lee will be out of action until at least mid-September and will miss key games,” the ‘France Blue’ added. It’s a blow for PSG, he won’t be on the field for at least a month. PSG will play Reims without him and he will also miss the trip to Lyon.”

French Football Weekly wrote: “Lee Kang-in is injured again! He has already suffered one injury this summer. He will miss both games against Reims and Olympique Lyonnais. His availability for Nice after the international break is also uncertain. It’s a big problem for Luis Enrique,” said the coach.

‘Get French Football News’ said: “Lee Kang-in is out until the A-match break. He has made a positive start since joining PSG from Mallorca and has started all two league games. While Enrique was struggling, Lee was impressing. However, he missed the Reims and Lyon games with a quadriceps injury and could be a doubt for the Nice game depending on his recovery. Enrique will be hoping that he can return as soon as possible.”

Photo: Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

Last season, Lee was a ‘Mallorca’ in his own right. He dominated the Spanish La Liga stage with his breakaway runs, darting dribbles and incisive link-ups. His partnership with striker Bedat Murki shone through, but his ability to create his own finishes was also noticeable.

His dribbling, in particular, is among the best in all of Europe’s top five leagues. According to football statistics website Fúscore.com, Lee made a whopping 90 successful dribbles last season. ‘World class’ Vinicius Junior (112), ‘GOAT’ Messi (102), ‘French Ligue 1 prospect’ Jeremy

This was good enough for fourth overall in Europe’s top five leagues, behind only Doku (96 successful attempts).

Photo: PSG

Photo/PSG

Photo: PSG

At the end of the season, transfer speculation began. While a move to Atletico Madrid seemed likely, his next destination was France. After the appointment of Enrique, PSG announced the signings of Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, and Manuel Ugarte, followed by Lee Kang-in. PSG, who are aiming for the ‘big one’ (UCL trophy), signed Lee as a hidden card.

‘Ouest France’ highlighted Lee, who may be unfamiliar to French fans, saying, “PSG is about to sign Lee Kang-in. He is not widely known in France. Let’s take a look at five things you need to know about him.”

The first point is ‘flying shot’. “Born in Incheon, South Korea, Lee Kang-in started playing football as a child. He participated in the TV programme ‘Fly, Shoot, Doll’. He even filmed an advert with Manchester United and Korean icon Park Ji-Sung. He moved to Spain when he was just 10 years old and joined the Valencia Academy,” he said.

Next is the ‘Valencia years’. “Lee made his debut in the Spanish La Liga in January 2019 and made his first appearance in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) in the same season. In the 2019-20 season, he also played in the Champions League (UCL), facing Chelsea and Lille. Due to financial difficulties, Valencia decided to let Lee leave the club in the summer of 2021.”

Photo: PSG

Photo: PSG

Photo: PSG

The third is ‘Poland’s 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup triumph’. “The versatile Lee has been in the spotlight since the beginning of his career. He was a complete success at the U-20 World Cup in Poland. He scored two goals and provided four assists to lead South Korea to the final. Despite losing to Ukraine, Lee was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.”

There was also talk of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “He made his debut for the A team quickly, playing as an excellent joker, and got his chance against Portugal in the final group game of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. He was very active and contributed to South Korea’s victory. However, he remained on the bench against Brazil in the round of 16, playing only the last 15 minutes.”

The last one is ‘Marseille transfer rumours’. “In the summer of 2020, Lee Kang-in was linked to PSG rivals Marseille. Marseille, who were in the UCL at the time, were looking to bolster their squad on the cheap and considered loaning Lee. However, the deal fell through. Now, Lee will be wearing a PSG shirt,” he said.

Photo: Capture the Stream

Photo: Interfootball DB

Photo: Interfootball DB

However, it wasn’t long after his arrival that things went wrong. He was injured in a friendly against Le Havre before the pre-season tour. He missed the matches against Al Nasr, Cerezo Osaka and Inter Milan in Japan before returning to action against Jeonbuk Hyundai in South Korea.

“I think I was able to play this game because of the fans who showed me great love and support in such hot weather. Thank you for supporting the team at the airport, hotel, open training and on the pitch,” Lee said on social media after the showcase in Korea. “I will do my best to give you a good show this season,” he concluded, “and I wish you all the best in the heat.

Photo: Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty Images

Upon his return to France, Lee wasted no time in grabbing his chance. He started on the wing against Lorient on the opening day. Asensio and Gonzalo Higuain had been underwhelming up front, but not Lee. In terms of key stats alone, his presence is immense. 88% passing success rate (59 attempts – 52 successful), 1 key pass, 66% dribbling success rate (3 attempts – 2 successful), 60% long ball success rate (5 attempts – 3 successful), 0.12 expected goals (xG) and 0.55 expected assists (xA). Lee had a successful debut, being named THE PLAYER by the Ligue 1 secretariat.

The second-round match against Toulouse was a bit of a struggle, with Lee playing 51 minutes on the pitch at left wing-forward and not getting many chances on the ball. This was in stark contrast to his performance against Lorient. He was replaced by Kylian Mbappe with little offensive merit. Key stats include a 79 per cent passing success rate (19 attempts – 15 successful), two key passes and an xA of 0.29.

The injury bug has struck again for Lee, who has started two games in a row. It’s frustrating for PSG, who are still without a win.

Photo: Korea Football Association

Photographer

Photo: The Korea Football Association

The loss of Lee is also devastating for South Korea. He is likely to miss both the Wales game on the 8th and the Saudi Arabia game on the 13th. Worse still, it could affect the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. PSG’s official announcement only mentioned the Reims and Lyon games, but some fear he could miss the Nice game on the 17th.

Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association

Photo: PSG

Lee is a key part of both Jürgen Klinsmann’s A team and Hwang Sun-hong’s Asian Games squad. “I’ve spoken to PSG,” Klinsmann said in a non-personal interview. I’ve heard that they’ve cleverly put a clause in his contract that requires the club to respond if he’s called up for the Asian Games. It shouldn’t be a problem (to play in the Asian Games). It will be more effective for him to play at a high level for the A team in the September A matches in Wales and Saudi Arabia and then go to the Asian Games team. And for Lee Kang-in, the end goal is to go to China and do something big (win gold). Lee Kang-in has the ability, so even if he joins the Asian Games team after playing A matches, he will adapt quickly,” he said, expressing his intention to select Lee Kang-in despite the controversy over the duplicate recruitment.

Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association

Photo courtesy of the Korean Football Association

Hwang Sun-hong added: “Lee Kang-in’s will to participate in the Asian Games is very strong. We had already agreed on a transfer with Mallorca. But the transfer to PSG happened so quickly that we have to coordinate. We have to coordinate because (Lee) is very determined and we are still working together. We are very positive and looking forward to it. We have a Plan A position and a Plan B position. We need to communicate with the player and coordinate. Of course, he is a good player and his individual ability is important. Lee Kang-in is very wise and I think he is fully aware of that,” he said of his plans to use him in the Asian Games.

As it stands, he is likely to miss the September A match and the Asian Games could be tough. PSG may be reluctant to send Lee to the Asian Games, where they are not obliged to play him if he is injured again. PSG, Klinsmann and Hwang have all been left in a quandary by Lee’s second injury since arriving in France.

Photo: Getty Images