Mystery surrounds the K-League absence of Jeonbuk striker Cho Gue-Sung after the Korean international was linked to the likes of Rangers in the winter window.
Cho Gue-Sung, 23, was perhaps more closely linked with a £3m move to Celtic in the January window but there were also a number of reports claiming Rangers were a considering a move.
Heading into the summer, with Celtic having looked elsewhere in the shape of Oh Hyeon-gu and Rangers set to lose Alfredo Morelos, perhaps some fans might have been keeping an eye on the striker’s progress.
Having starred at the World Cup in Qatar, Cho Gue-Sung boasts an impressive six-goal return in 20 international caps and is considered among the K-League’s top strikers.
But the last few months have seen the forward’s career take an almighty dip, with only one league goal scored this season and the player not seen for Jeonbuk since the last international break.
Mystery surrounds Cho Gue-Sung absence
You have to go back to March 19 for the player’s last club game, the match coming before the last round of internationals where the striker played a role against Colombia and Uruguay.
Interestingly, the two-month absence of Cho Gue-Sung comes after Jeonbuk manager Kim Sang-sik slammed the player for carrying too much weight back in March.
“Cho Gue-sung’s body is still heavy,” said Sang-sik.
“He seems to have some impatience on the ball as well. We hope he will gradually get better.”
The striker would then issue a response disagreeing with his manager.
“I thought that way when I went into winter training,” said Cho Gue-Sung.
“However, after I played the first match I felt that I was wrong to think about it.”
While it’s difficult to confirm if Cho Gue-Sung is currently out of the side due to an injury, it’s interesting to consider a potential spat with the player’s manager heading into the summer.
Signing players from the Far East has generally been the concern of our Old Firm rivals over the years but, with Rangers linked to Cho Gue-Sung in January, and the club in need of firepower, it will be interesting to see the forward’s season unfold.
