Part 2 rental? Maybe last chance...'Son Heung-min Road' Yang Min-hyuk, Things to Prove in QPR
Part 2 rental? Maybe last chance...'Son Heung-min Road' Yang Min-hyuk, Things to Prove in QPR
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It's not just a matter of adaptation. Maybe it's the first and last chance.
Attention is being paid to Yang Min-hyuk's performance on loan to the Queens Park Rangers (QPR) of the English Championship (second division). Yang Min-hyuk, who moved to Tottenham after finishing the season at K League 1 Gangwon FC last year, has focused on adapting without playing in an official match. Amid conflicting views over his debut schedule, Tottenham chose to lease QPR. Yang Min-hyuk is expected to make his England debut as early as the 25th (Korea time) in the 30th round of the 2024-2025 Championship against Millwall.
The QPR led by Coach Marty Cifuentes currently ranks 13th out of 24 teams with 38 points after 29 matches in the championship. The gap is not big with Middlesbrough (44 points), which ranks sixth, the final line of the promotion playoffs. The loan of Yang Min-hyuk, an offensive resource, from Tottenham proves that he has not given up on his goal of promotion beyond just strengthening the squad.
Cifuentes, who took the helm of QPR in the middle of the season, is in the process of completing his philosophy. His camp prefers soccer that focuses on market share.
However, possession-based soccer is of no use if scores do not match. Currently, the top scorer in his team is Michael Fry, a Swiss striker. However, he has scored only five goals in 17 matches. Defender Jimmy Dunn and 20-year-old Algerian striker Rayan Kohli have scored four goals each.
Another positive development is that no suitable competitor is in sight. Winger Karamoko Dembele, who has been on loan from Brestu this season, has been out for a long time since October last year due to knee injury. Japanese winger Koki Saito, who was loaned from Rommel in Belgium, also played in 28 matches, but only scored one goal, leaving a regret. Joker Paul Smith, who was substituted for 17 of the 29 matches in the Championship, also has one goal, which is hardly powerful.
Yang Min-hyuk, who can perform both left and right attacks, is in a situation where he needs to pioneer a way and provide practical help to such QPR attacks. If the performance he showed while playing 38 games in the K League 1, there is an expectation that he will fully show the offensive power that QPR expects.
However, the championship is not a stage that can be easily seen. As it is a gateway to the promotion of the Premier League, it is a stage where more competition is held than expected. It is also a place where the tough and tough playing styles of English soccer dominate. Although the K-League is considered the toughest league in Asia, it is a mild taste compared to the championship.
Above all, Yang must prove that he is a player who can survive in English soccer. There is a reason why Tottenham called Yang Min-hyuk early but focused on adapting himself. It was a decision to recover his tired physical strength by playing full-time in the K-League last season while adapting to language and culture. In February, he should be able to boost his stamina to some extent in preparation for the new season in the K-League due to his condition cycle. The loan from QPR means that Tottenham has begun a full-fledged verification of Yang Min-hyuk. How well Yang will perform in the QPR what Tottenham has been aiming for will be the yardstick that determines whether he will join or play in the first division squad next season.
Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou is seeking a breakthrough by increasing the proportion of young players in the use of existing resources. In the Europa League match against Elpsborg, he tested the possibility by sending out young players such as Lucas Veribal, Dane Scarlett, Damora Ajayi and Mikey Moore. If Yang Min-hyuk shows good performance in QPR, he will be given ample opportunity for the first team like them. On the other hand, if he stops short of disappointing performance in QPR, his position at Tottenham, where next-generation players have recently started to stand out, 안전놀이터 will rapidly decrease.
In the end, Yang Min-hyuk can survive only by proving it.