Nine matches into the MLS season at LAFC, Son Heung-min has one goal to his name — a penalty. For a player who has spent the better part of a decade as East Asia's most complete attacker, that's a number that demands attention, whatever the coaching staff says publicly.
Korea boss Hong Myung-bo is doing his best to project calm. "Given his body of work to this point, I am not concerned," Hong told reporters ahead of Tuesday's training session in Milton Keynes. The confidence is understandable — you don't write off a player of Son's quality based on a slow start to a new club season. But with the World Cup arriving in June, the timing of this slump is genuinely uncomfortable for Korea.
A position change could be coming
Hong dropped something interesting into the conversation: Son may not be playing as a striker or left winger for these upcoming friendlies. "At the moment, we have some in-form strikers with Oh Hyeon-gyu and Cho Gue-sung," he said. "So Son may be asked to play on the wing this time."
That's a notable shift. It suggests Hong is building his World Cup setup around form rather than reputation — which is the right call, even if it reframes what Son's role actually is at this stage of his career. Whether Son can influence games from a wider position as effectively as he once did from the left is the real question nobody wants to ask out loud.
Korea face Ivory Coast on Saturday and Austria the following Tuesday. These are the last two friendlies before the group stage draw comes into sharp focus, where they'll meet Mexico, South Africa, and a European playoff winner. Winning both would settle nerves. Losing both while Son stays goalless would not.
Injury concerns elsewhere
Son was also reportedly under the weather this week, adding another layer of uncertainty to his availability and sharpness. Hong confirmed that Lee Kang-in of PSG and Borussia Mönchengladbach's Jens Castrop are both nursing foot injuries, though neither is as serious as initially feared.
- Castrop has no ligament damage but remains swollen — day-to-day for the Ivory Coast match
- Lee Kang-in's injury is less serious than first thought, with a decision on his availability expected Wednesday
Korea's depth in the final third — Son, Lee, Oh, Cho — is genuinely one of their strengths heading into the tournament. But that depth only holds if the pieces are fit and firing. Right now, two of their most important attacking players are working through knocks, and their captain hasn't scored from open play in nine games.
"Winning these matches will be really important" for collective confidence, Hong said. That's not coach-speak — Korea need form and belief before June, not just fitness. Son's odds of returning to the scoresheet this weekend are worth watching closely.
