Swansea City's Ki Sung-yueng Set to Miss South Korea's World Cup Qualifiers

South Korea's prospects of qualifying for the 2018 Russian World Cup have been dealt a major blow as their captain and Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-yueng will miss their remaining two World Cup qualifying matches. 

Chosun Media English reported that Swansea boss Paul Clement said the Korean midfielder needs three month of rehabilitation following a knee surgery in July. 

South Korea face Iran on August 31st and their last World Cup qualifier is against Uzbekistan on the 5th of September. The Koreans desperately need a victory to put their campaign back on the track following a shock loss to Qatar in June. 

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The midfielder has featured for the Swans 115 times and scored 10 goals since he signed for the club in 2012. He has also had a loan spell at Sunderland, where he played 27 times for the Black Cats in 2013/14.

Ki's versatility on the pitch has seen him play in various positions for his national side, including as a centre-forward and a defensive midfielder. He is set to return to fitness in mid-September, but by then South Korea's remaining two qualifiers will have been played.

A loss to Iran, who have already qualified for the World Cup in Russia, will put the Korean hopes of qualifying for a ninth straight World Cup in serious jeopardy.