Nov 16 (Reuters) – South Korea captain Son Heung-min said he is unsure if he can play in all matches at the World Cup in Qatar from Sunday after undergoing surgery this month to remove one Fracture to stabilize his left eye.
Son was included in South Korea’s squad for the tournament despite suffering a fractured eye socket while playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League earlier this month.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who will wear a protective mask for South Korea’s games in Qatar, had his first training session with the team in Doha on Wednesday.
“I’m not a doctor. It’s difficult for me to say when I can play,” Son, whose side face Uruguay in Group H on 24 November, told reporters.
“I will do my best under the circumstances. But it’s hard for me to say that I’ll play every game.
“From the fans’ point of view, maybe I’m taking this too far. But football players always compete under such risks. I just want to give our fans joy and hope. I am more than willing to take those risks.”
Sohn said he got used to playing with the mask and the swelling on his face had gone down.
“These carbon masks are really light and probably won’t break,” Son said. “And if a mask breaks, it means something happened to my face. So I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
South Korea, in their tenth straight World Cup finals, also meet Ghana and Portugal in their group.
Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge
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