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| ReutersYonhap News |
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It was argued that Yang Min-hyuk may play in the U-21 (under 21) team, not the first team.
Tottenham lost 1-2 in the 21st round of the English Premier League (EPL) match against Arsenal in 2024-2025 at the Emirates Stadium in London on the 16th (Korea time).
Yang Min-hyuk was not seen in the game either. Initially, the news of Timo Werner's injury drew attention to the possibility of Yang Min-hyuk's replacement. However, coach Enze Postecoglou did not put Yang Min-hyuk on the starting list following the last game against Tamworth.
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In this situation, Yang Min-hyuk's possibility of playing in the U-21 team emerged. Paul O'Keeffe, a reporter familiar with Tottenham's news, responded to a question about Yang Min-hyuk's participation, saying, `Yang is currently adjusting to English football. It's just a matter of pure adaptation. There are no injuries or other problems." Asked about the possibility of playing in the Under-21s, Tottenham may consider itYang Min-hyuk said he could play first on the U-21 stage, not the first team.
Yang Min-hyuk recently received 18 jersey numbers and was included in the first-team squad along with the registration of Tottenham's squad, drawing great attention. He was the best prospect in the K-League in the 2024 season. Born in 2006, despite his young age of 18, Yang Min-hyuk was not behind at all at the professional level. Initially, there were not many expectations that he would play as a main player, but Yang Min-hyuk won coach Yoon Jung-hwan's heart in winter training before the season and immediately started the opening game. He also scored his debut goal against Gwangju in the second round, showing his talent from the beginning of the season.
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Yang Min-hyuk, who even signed a professional contract, played in 38 K League games and finished the season with 12 goals and 5 assists. It also swept all kinds of awards. Yang Min-hyuk, who won the K-League Young Player of the Month award five times, was delighted with this year's Young Player of the Year and Best 11 at the K-League awards ceremony. Yang Min-hyuk has already demonstrated his skills in various areas such as shooting, passing, goal-making, and kicking on the K-League stage.
The English Premier League is a completely different stage. The world's best striker Son Heung-min is also difficult to guarantee his performance every season, and it is a league where world-class players struggle. Moreover, adapting at a young age may not be easier. Spurs Webb of England wrote, `Tottenham fans should be patient with Yang Min-hyuk. Yang Min-hyuk had a lot of expectations and shone in the K League. However, the step he takes is tremendous. We are competing in the most difficult league in the world, and will undoubtedly face tremendous challenges.'
The most likely chance to make his debut was against Tamworth, which was in the fifth division. There was a possibility that coach Enze Postecoglou could operate an extreme rotation due to the large power difference with the opponent. For Yang Min-hyuk, he can make his Tottenham debut in a very short period of time, and it was a good opportunity to make his debut in front of Tottenham fans. However, Postecoglou did not give time to play, excluding Yang Min-hyuk.
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Meanwhile, despite these predictions, coach Enze Postecoglou was consistent with interviews that revealed negative views on Yang Min-hyuk's participation.
Postecoglou said in a pre-press conference against Newcastle that `" (Yang Min-hyuk Yong-eun) has no special plans yet. Just adaptation is the top priority" "I played in a completely different environment that has so far fallen short of EPL levels. I'm a very young player, so I want to give him time to adjust to this place" he said. The Tottenham club has not yet put Yang Min-hyuk on the list of players on its website. The uniform number is still there. There were no conditions to play as a first-team player.
Coach Postecoglou's remarks may be a point about Yang Min-hyuk's coming from a low-level league, but considering Postecoglou's career so far, it is likely to be consideration for adaptation. Postecoglou is a coach who has already experienced the Asian stage while experiencing the J-League. He also has experience watching Asian players adapt on the European stage such as Celtic. Based on these things, it may be judged that Yang Min-hyuk needs to adapt, and it may be a burden to hire him right away.
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Even ahead of the match against Tamworth, he did not change his mind much. Asked whether he would use a younger player in the match against Tamworth, Postecoglou replied, `No. It is important to give younger players time to play, but what is more important is time to lead us to the next round. We have to be careful not to make it a tricky game for us. We can give some people a break, but we are in a pretty limited situation" he replied.
Yang Min-hyuk's debut in the first division is being delayed more than expected. It may not be easy to appear in the league, league cup and FA cup schedules with Everton, Leicester City, Brentford, Liverpool and Aston Villa, which Tottenham is scheduled to play in the future. Attention is also focusing on when Yang Min-hyuk will debut, which Postecoglou is thinking of.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
