South Korea taking no risks with Asian Cup squad

SEOUL, June 12 (Reuters) South Korea will make do without their top three players at this summer's Asian Cup after leaving Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Seol Ki-hyeon out of the squad.

With all three recovering from recent surgery, assistant coach Hong Myung-bo said Korea could take no risks with the squad by travelling with players who were not fully fit.

Manchester United's Park was always unlikely to take part after having knee surgery in the United States in April but Tottenham Hotspur's Lee (knee) and Reading's Seol (ankle) were hoping to recover in time for the July 7-29 tournament.

''We will make a decision on the team for the Asian Cup on Friday but for starters, we have decided to leave out the three Premier Leaguer players who are undergoing rehabilitation,'' sports daily Ilgan Sports quoted Hong as saying.

South Korea could not take any risks in forming the best team for the Asian Cup and it was best to let the three recover from surgery and prepare for next season, he added.

The KFA would not comment on the report when contacted by Reuters.

Korea's fourth representative in England's Premier League, Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-guk, is also a major doubt after he said he still felt pain in his knee from an injury sustained in the last game of the season.

''I really want to play in the Asian Cup but I do have constant pain and it will be a loss even to the team if I play like this,'' the paper quoted Lee as saying.

Lee was South Korea's leading striker in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup but missed the tournament after tearing knee ligaments in a domestic match.

Coach Pim Verbeek will decide on his final 23-man squad for the Asian Cup on Friday and submit it to the Asian Football Confederation a day later. South Korea are in Group D with Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for the July 7-29 competition. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam co-hosting the event.

REUTERS BJR DS1110