▲ Cho Gue-sung in training
National team forward Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland) has been released early from the national squad to focus on recovering from an injury.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced today (the 27th) that Cho has been released from the squad and is returning to his club.
The KFA explained, "Following a meeting with Cho Gue-sung, head coach Robert Moreno, and the medical team, it was determined that recovery is necessary rather than playing in the remaining matches."
It added that no replacement player will be selected to join the national team in place of Cho.
Ahead of this call-up, Cho had shown strong form with 3 goals and 1 assist in official matches for his club.
However, he has been unable to take the pitch since joining the national team.
In the first friendly match against Ecuador held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th, he was left off the roster entirely, alongside Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), Hwang In-beom (Porto), and Gu Sung-yun (Seoul).
During the post-match press conference, head coach Moreno explained the exclusion of these players, saying, "It was a precautionary measure based on the medical staff's recommendation. There was some discomfort and muscle overload. The medical staff requested that we avoid pushing them too hard."
Having secured a 3-0 clean-sheet victory against Ecuador, the Moreno squad will play the second match of their four-match friendly series tomorrow (the 28th) against South American powerhouse Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
(Photo provided by the Korea Football Association, Yonhap News)
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