“Bull” Hwang Hee-chan 28, Wolverhampton Wanderers is starting the engine to return to the pitch.
Hwang has been displaying the best performance in this season. Since transforming into a central striker, Hwang has displayed good teamwork with Matheus Cunha and Pedro Netu, with 11 goals and three assists in 24 official matches and 10 goals and three assists in 22 matches in the league.
The biggest secret is Hwang Hee-chan’s top-rated scoring ability in the Premier League. According to Football Statistics magazine Foot Mob, Hwang Hee-chan only scored 6.37 goals in the league, but he actually scored 10. In addition, he converted 10 goals out of 13 shots on goal. If a player gets caught, he or she will score a goal.
However, the injury is holding him back. Hwang Hee-chan suddenly collapsed during the FA Cup match against Brighton on Feb. 29. He started the game and was replaced by Netu with a limp in the back of his thigh in the 9th minute of the second half. Again, the chronic hamstring was a problem.
The injury did not appear to be a big deal. Manager Gary O’Neill called it a “small thing.” After finishing the match against Brighton 1-0, he said, “I am disappointed because we have to play the match against Newcastle on the weekend. I felt something in my hamstring. It is not a big deal like Netu or Cunha. It is a small matter.”
“I hope he will be able to leave the team for about a week to 10 days,” O’Neill added, referring to the approximate recovery period. Naturally, expectations have grown that Hwang Hee-chan will be able to return in about two weeks.
However, the injury was more serious than expected. When Hwang Hee-chan talked about Hwang Hee-chan’s hamstring tightness last week, O’Neill said, “He wanted to keep playing, but he would have been hurt if he had done so. That’s why Netu, who has a tight hamstring, had no choice but to play.”
The rehabilitation period was expected to be six weeks. “Hwang needs about six weeks to recover. This is obviously a disaster for us at this point. He and Cunha will probably return around the same time. For now, Cunha will likely return a little earlier. Netu’s injury today is far from an ideal picture,” O’Neill sighed.
Ultimately, Hwang failed to play at the March A match due to his injury. He had to support his teammates in the U.K., who will play two consecutive games against Thailand in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-Central America World Cup.
Fortunately, the pace of rehabilitation seems to be faster than expected. Hwang Hee-chan is expected to be able to play against West Ham United as early as this weekend. Wolverhampton will face West Ham at home on the 6th and then leave for Nottingham Forest on the 13th.
“Hwang Hee-chan and Craig Dawson are likely to play on weekends. They are a little later to return than they are,” O’Neill said after Sunday’s match against Burnley.
Chances are high that he will come back at the match against Nottingham at the latest. “I expect Hwang Hee-chan and Dawson will definitely play at the match against Nottingham Forest on March 13. There will be no setbacks. They will train with us before the weekend. We want to make sure that they are fully ready to play again,” O’Neill said.
If Hwang Hee-chan returns, it will be great news for Wolverhampton, the injured ward. Matheus Cunha, who returned as a substitute against Burnley, is not in his best condition yet, and Netu is also groaning with a hamstring injury. Coach O’Neill also criticized the club for not recruiting a striker in the transfer market in January, saying that the string of offensive resources is fatal.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton drew 1-1 with Burnley in the 31st round of the 2023-2024 Premier League PL held at Turf Moor in Burnley, England on Thursday. Jakob Brun Larsen allowed the first goal in the 37th minute of the first half, but Rayan Aitnuri’s header equalizer in the extra time of the first half. 배트맨토토