Seo Jae-min, who became the core of Yoon Jeong-hwan, and Park Seung-ho, who is turned away... "From Young Player Award." Mixed joy and sorrow

*This content was translated by AI.

Seo Jae-min (23), a former member of the K League 2 Young Player Award, and Park Seung-ho (23, Incheon United) are having mixed feelings at the beginning of the season. While Seo Jae-min, who left Seoul E-Land and joined Incheon, has established himself as a key player for Yoon Jung-hwan, Park Seung-ho, who was appointed by Yoon last year, is having difficulty even entering the entry.

Seo Jae-min, who received the K League 2 Young Player Award in the 2024 season when he was a member of Seoul E-Land, played as the starting full season in all four opening K League 1 games this season. A former FC Seoul youth player, he joined Seoul but failed to play in the K-League game, he played in the K-League 2 for two seasons as a member of Seoul E-Land and built a new nest in Incheon this season. This is actually his first K League 1 full season season since his debut.

He has shown his perfect presence since the beginning of the season. He is in the midfield with Lee Myung-joo or Iker (Spain), and he is adding strength to the team based on his enormous amount of activity. According to the data released by the Korea Professional Football Federation, Seo Jae-min played 12.288km against FC Seoul in the first round, 13.443km against Gwangju FC in the second round, and 12.841km against Pohang Steelers in the third round, respectively. It is the No. 1 overall activity in the K League 1 for the third consecutive round. It has established itself as the core of the "Yoon Jung-hwan-ho" midfield early on, showing not only tremendous activity but also skills and pass capabilities in the midfield.

Coach Yoon Jung-hwan is also applauding Seo Jae-min's performance. Coach Yoon met with reporters ahead of the match against Daejeon Hana Citizen held at Incheon Football Stadium on the 18th, saying, "The second and first parts must be very different, but I felt, 'You've come with a really strong determination, you're preparing.' He said that he had properly trained in winter, unlike his former team. I think the preparedness will lead to this kind of performance," he said.

However, Park Seung-ho, who is from another Young Player Award, is rarely chosen by coach Yoon Jung-hwan. Park Seung-ho played in 38 K League 23 games last season, scoring nine goals and one assist, and playing a leading role in his team's K League 2 victory and promotion, even holding a Young Player Award. He was none other than coach Yoon Jung-hwan, who was appointed as Mugosa's two-top partner last season.

However, this season, Park Seung-ho started against Seoul in the opening game and played 63 minutes, and since then, he has not even been listed for the third game. It was not an inevitable exclusion from the list, including injuries. Training is done normally, but the entry is excluded only by coach Yoon Jung-hwan's choice. It is a questionable choice because he was the team's main striker last season and played well.

Coach Yoon Jung-hwan said, "I'm working hard (training)," regarding Park Seung-ho's exclusion from the entry, but added, "I think the players should now know the difference between what they do in the second part and what they do in the first part. Just because you work hard doesn't mean this will work, so I think (Park) Seung-ho should be upgraded a little more. Since I played in the game last year, I think the prerequisite of playing again this year should be to fit in the first part."

He said, "I'm talking a lot about that, and I'm making an effort myself. The important thing is that you have to feel it yourself, he said. "Last year, we preferred a style like Seung-ho because we pressed forward, but now we can keep the ball a little more and we need penetration and things like that. He added, "There is a bit of a lack of that." Changes in team tactics are inevitable after promotion to K League 1, which means that the player's style is still far from coach Yoon's idea.

However, there are no plans to keep Park Seung-ho out of power. Coach Yoon Jung-hwan said, "I think it will get better in the future. (Park Seung-ho) is working hard behind the scenes with a strong will, so I think I'll have a chance someday over time," he said. Coincidentally, Incheon needs a change in the atmosphere with no wins (1 draw and 3 losses) in the opening four games, and coach Yoon also hinted at the possibility of a change, including the use of players. If Park Seung-ho, who has prepared even with his courage, gets the right opportunity to be given one day, it can be a great help to Incheon's challenge in the first season of promotion.

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*This content was translated by AI.