Gary O’Neill, head coach of the Wolverhampton Wanderers in England’s professional football team, said it was a “disaster” when Hwang Hee-chan collapsed due to injury.

Hwang Hee-chan started as a front-line striker in the fifth round of the 2023-24 FA Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 28th.

However, he suffered from an injury to his left thigh at the 9th minute of the second half. After passing during the attack, Hwang Hee-chan fell to the ground and was in agony holding onto the back of his left thigh. There was no particular collision. Hwang Hee-chan was replaced by Netu after undergoing medical examination. He looked disappointed when he limped off the field.

O’Neill was hugely concerned about Hwang Hee-chan’s hamstring injury in an interview with the BBC after his 1-0 win despite the 28-year-old main striker’s departure in the second half.

“Hwang Hee-chan felt something wrong with his hamstring. For a team with a shallow squad like us, especially that area injuries is catastrophic,” he stressed. “It’s been a challenge for a few days to choose which players to rest and which players to field.”

However, he added, “Hwang Hee-chan’s injury does not appear to be in a serious condition, and it is likely to be minor.”

Hwang Hee-chan has suffered several hamstring injuries, including February and August of last year and during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. 스포츠토토

According to local magazine Birmingham World, O’Neill said, “Unfortunately, Hwang Hee-chan did not play until the end of the game. He felt a small pain in his hamstring. He had a hard time all these years. While away, he could hardly participate in the Korean team’s training. I was not as sharp as before because I had to train for a long time.”

Coach O’Neill joked that he didn’t know who to put on the front line because Hwang Hee-chan was excluded.

Wolverhampton’s quarterfinal match will be held on the 16th local time. It is unclear whether Hwang Hee-chan will play.

In addition, it will be possible to know whether the Korean national team, which will play the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup with Thailand, will join the Korean national team only when the exact injury status is determined.