Tottenham Life of Yang Min-hyuk (18, Kangwon), a teenage rookie player who is unprecedented throughout the history of the K-League, has now entered a countdown.
Yang Min-hyuk finished the final home game of the 38th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Pohang at Gangneung Stadium on the 23rd and revealed the specific date when asked about joining Tottenham in a broadcast interview, “I will leave for England on December 16.”
Yang Min-hyuk, who has to leave for London immediately after a short break of about three weeks, said, “Tottenham asked me to join early,” explaining the background of joining the new team earlier than the existing joining date scheduled for the end of December, and said, “We are focusing on joining quickly and adapting (to the new team) while taking a break and exercising.”
Above all, he emphasized that he would focus on recovery.
Tottenham reportedly asked Yang Min-hyuk, who spent 4 million euros (estimated transfer fee) to join the team at the end of July at a time when rookie winger Wilson O’Dowbert and Brazilian national winger Hishalisson, who were ambitiously recruited last summer, collapsed due to injuries, and Timo Werner was unable to settle down.
Werner, who was brought on a one-year loan from Leipzig, is raising the possibility of early termination of his lease through the winter transfer market in January next year.
Yang Min-hyuk is expected to be included in the entry faster than expected, as rookie Mikey Moore from Youth has not given Tottenham manager Engie Postecoglou a clear trust and lacks wing resources itself.
“Yang has been mentioned by everyone for the past 12 months,” said Tiberius Rajeevski, an Asian soccer expert with “Transfermarkt,” adding, “Yang, who signed his first professional contract just half a year ago, became an irreplaceable player in Gangwon Province and broke several records in the process. His consistency is amazing. He has won many awards.”
“Yang naturally reminds me of Son Heung-min. In fact, there are some firm similarities. Both players have excellent speed and like to deal with defenders. He also uses both feet comfortably,” he said. “If you look closely, your play style and approach are quite different. They are physically different and attack positions are different. Yang tends to focus more on the center in small spaces,” he said.
In addition, he said, “Tottenham’s continued injury problems are likely to affect Yang Min-hyuk. It will be quite difficult to adapt on the other side of the world at the age of 18, but if you have a player from the same club, it will be easy to adapt. Tottenham’s relatively young squad can be an advantage.”
Yang Min-hyuk also proved with his skills why Tottenham recruited him in his last game in Gangwon uniform.
Yang Min-hyuk, who played as a right striker without fail, scored the first winning goal in the 35th minute of the first half to give the team a 1-0 victory.
Gangwon scored 19 wins, 7 draws, 12 losses and 64 points, bringing down Gimcheon, which lost to Seoul at the same time, and ending the season in second place, the club’s best performance, to win a ticket to the Asian Club competition.
Yang Min-hyuk, who debuted as a semi-professional this year and signed an official professional contract in June, played in all 38 games and scored 12 goals and 6 assists, contributing to the “Gangwon fairy tale.”
Yang, who broke the youngest record of his team, including participation and scoring goals, has been nominated for the K League 1 Most Valuable Player Award, the Young Player Award, and the Best Eleven Award. The K League 1 Grand Prize ceremony, which is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, will be the last official event in which Yang will participate as a member of Gangwon Province.
“I’ve been thinking of him as my son for a year,” Gangwon coach Yoon Jeong-hwan, who discovered Yang this season, told a news conference. “I think I’ll miss him a lot, and I hope he does well.” 메이저사이트
Yang Min-hyuk, who hosted a farewell event with the Gangwon team and fans after the game, said, “I’m really happy to finish the season in second place with the victory of the last game. I didn’t take advantage of many chances, but fortunately, I’m happy that the team can win with one goal.”
“It was a very thankful year. I was able to finish the season well because my good staff and colleagues made me a good relationship,” he said. “My soccer life begins from now on. Please support me a lot.”