In this file photo from March 12, 2024, Seol Young-woo of Ulsan HD FC celebrates after scoring against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors during the second leg of the quarterfinals at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 8 (Korea Bizwire) – Two-time defending K League 1 champions Ulsan HD FC announced Wednesday their defender Seol Young-woo will undergo a shoulder operation.
Seol, who has also collected 16 caps for the national team, was scheduled to have his surgery later Wednesday to address chronic dislocation of his right shoulder. Ulsan said Seol is expected to be sidelined for two to three months.
Seol has had his right shoulder pop out in non-contact situations this season — most notably during an Asian Football Confederation Champions League match on March 12 while he was celebrating a goal.
Seol also complained of shoulder pains during South Korea’s World Cup qualifying match against Thailand in Seoul on March 21.
On those occasions, Seol was able to put his shoulder back into place and continue to play. However, after some discussions, Ulsan and Seol agreed that going under the knife was the best answer for the player’s long-term health.
“We decided on surgery to better protect the player. The more matches he has played, the more often his shoulder has been dislocated,” an Ulsan club official said. “We’ve been running some tactical experiments to make sure younger guys would be able to step in for Seol Young-woo during his absence.”
Seol, 25, has emerged as a mainstay in the right full back position for both the national team and Ulsan.
Following this surgery, Seol will not be available for South Korea’s next set of World Cup qualifying matches next month — against Singapore on June 6 and against China on June 11.
(Yonhap)
