Another Korean, Lee Chung-yong, shines in English football

By John Duerden Contributing Writer SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- Park Ji-sung may be attracting the headlines as an extolled player with Manchester United, but fellow South Korean Lee Chung-yong has also been making waves just a few kilometers north in England. The 22-year-old winger plays for Bolton Wanderers and has enjoyed a second successful season with the team based just outside of Manchester. The future seems to be bright for the talented youngster, who has already appeared 38 times for the South Korean national team. Park retired from international football in January and believes that Lee has what it takes to take his place. "He has shown unbelievably in the Premier League with Bolton and then with the national team as well," Park had said of Lee during last year's World Cup. "He is a player who is getting bigger in the national team as well. So, hopefully, he gets more experience and, yes, he can take my place. He has good skills, a good mentality and is good physically. Not as strong, but he can learn all that. He is smart and, hopefully, he will grow up this way, and he's going to be the best player in our country." That is some praise coming from the most celebrated player in Asian football history. Park played and scored in three successive World Cups, and has won four English Premier League titles and played in more UEFA Champions League games than any other player from Asia. Lee still has some way to go to match such exploits, but his rise to the top has been meteoric. He burst onto the K-League scene with FC Seoul in 2007 and, still a teenager, made his debut for the national team a year later. In 2009, after helping Korea qualify for a seventh successive World Cup, he moved to Bolton for a fee of around US$3 million. In the 2010 World Cup, he was the only player to score against Argentina in the group stage and also found the net against Uruguay in the second round. Already a firm favorite with the fans, Lee has the respect of many of the top football journalists in England. "Lee Chung-yong has made a very positive impact since joining Bolton and, along with Park Ji-sung at Manchester United, been a great advert for Korean football," said Mike Adamson, football features editor for The Guardian, one of England's most influential newspapers. "In addition to his quick feet and invention, he is tactically very astute and able to employ his manager's game plan effectively." Gary Parkinson is the deputy editor of 442, the world's best-selling football magazine, and is another admirer of the player signed by Gary Megson in 2009. Megson was soon fired from the club after poor results, but Lee has blossomed. "Chungy, as he is known to Bolton fans, is one of the better legacies of the Megson era. Lee took a while to settle in at Bolton, partly because Megson wasn't happy with the defensive side of his game," Parkinson said. "However, he worked hard to adapt to the rigors of the Premier League and quickly became a firm favorite with players and fans alike." In January 2010, Owen Coyle became the coach of the club. The Scot has transformed the team into a club that is more attacking and more attractive to watch. "English football is fast and frequently furious," added Parkinson, "but the Korean has proven to be more than happy to do the physical work as well as providing attacking finesse. His game has improved still more under current Bolton manager Owen Coyle, whose commitment to fast-attacking football suits Lee's game ideally." Gabriele Marcotti is one of the most respected journalists in football and works for the BBC, The Times of London and the Wall Street Journal. He believes that Lee can improve his game further. "The fact that Lee has done well under two very different managers at Bolton such as Megson and Coyle is a testament to his adaptability," Marcotti said. "One area where he could perhaps improve is getting into goal-scoring areas more often and having a crack at goal. He has the tools to chip in more goals, but I think that will come in time. "Also, I think he has the potential to be more of a play-making midfielder rather than just a wide player (though, of course, this has more to do with the way his managers like to use him). And, if I had to pick another potential weakness, it's perhaps learning to pace himself a bit better. His work rate is very good; you just wonder if maybe he wouldn't be better off holding back a little sometimes so that he could be sharper towards the end of games." Lee's work rate is there for all to see, but it does mean that the player needs a rest. It is not only in Korea where fans are concerned about the amount of games that Lee has played. The winger has been in an unusual situation. He joined Bolton in the summer of 2009 after a busy Korean season and qualification for the 2010 World Cup. With the World Cup last summer and the 2011 Asian Cup, the player has been busy since the start of 2009. "He has been afflicted by fitness problems this season, as have many who took part in the World Cup last summer, which has hampered his progress," said Adamson. Parkinson agrees. "Coyle has protected one of Bolton's prize assets; with last summer's World Cup, Lee hasn't had a break in two years, and his concerned manager has been careful to give him plenty of rest, substituting him when tired and resting him for certain games." With the potential for a serious rest this summer, it is expected that Lee will be better than ever when the new season kicks off in August. There is some debate, however, as to which club he will be playing for. A second successful season with Bolton has the English and Korean media speculating on whether Lee may move to a bigger club this summer. Liverpool and Arsenal are the names most often mentioned in connection with the player. Adamson believes that Lee is currently best served by staying at Bolton. "He has been linked with some of Europe's bigger clubs, but I would be surprised if he left this offseason -- I think he is best placed for now under the expert tutelage of Owen Coyle," Adamson said. "Bolton fans have grown to love Lee, and would certainly be sad to see him go. There are occasional low-level rumors linking Lee with Liverpool, and he would certainly merit a place in a top-six squad. The hope is that he'll hang around for another year at least."