Lee Out for Season Due After Injury

Injuries are hampering Korean Premier League players.

Lee Young-pyo (30), a defender playing for Tottenham Hotspur, is done for the season after he had the outer ligament in his left knee torn, announced Zissen, Lee’s management agency, on April 7. According to reports, Lee will have to stay off the pitch for at least three months. Whether he will undergo surgery is to be decided in about a week after watching the course of his injury. Lee is planning to take rehabilitation programs so that he will be able to play in the Asian Cup tournament in July.

Lee played for 90 minutes in an away quarterfinal match of the UEFA Cup against Sevilla on April 6. The management company claimed that Lee began to feel pain midway through the second half, but endured it as the team was losing 1-2.

Meanwhile, Manchester United’s “power engine” Park Ji-sung (26) has started to undergo thorough examinations of his bruised right knee. The official website of Manchester United (http://www.manutd.com) quoted manager Alex Ferguson as saying that the team has sent him to a specialist to get a further assessment and they are looking at a couple of weeks rest for him.”

bluesky@donga.com