Swansea Believe Midfielder Won't Be Fit Enough to Feature in South Korea's World Cup Qualifiers

Swansea say they're not expecting their midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng to feature for South Korea in their upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.

The 28-year-old has been recovering from surgery on his knee over the summer and has been rehabilitating, but is not quite ready to be called up to face Iran and Uzbekistan.

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As reported by Wales Online, he has not yet returned to training with the Swans, which suggests that he will likely not be fit to face Newcastle once the Premier League resumes.

Despite his lack of fitness, Ki was selected by head coach Shin Tae-yong for the two qualifiers and Swansea have had to release the player for duty, as per FIFA rules regarding international windows.

South Korea will be hoping to win their two matches to secure automatic qualification, with pressure coming from Uzbekistan and Syria.

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National team captain Ki will continue his recovery while with the national team at Gyeonggi Province and will be assessed by the South Korean medical team.

He told local outlet The Chosen Ilbo: "Things have changed under the leadership of the new manager. But I still feel a lot of responsibility. I'm not sure if my condition will allow me to play in the remaining two crucial matches, but we will do our best."