Asian games call-up leaves Stuttgart without Jeong after international break
VfB Stuttgart Woo-Yeong Jeong's call up to the South Korea U24 side for the "Asian Games" tournament Hangzhou later this month will leave the new signing unavailable to his German club for at least two Bundesliga match days and potentially up to four league fixtures.
VfB Stuttgart Sebastian Hoeneß will have to find a new solution for the ten-slot in his tactical constellation after the international break. Newly signed SC Freiburg attacker Woo-Yeong Jeong - having started both league fixtures thus far - remains available to Hoeneß this weekend. The 23-year-old has been called up to the South Korea U24 squad for the coming 19th edition of the multi-sport "Asian Games" in Hangzhou, China.
The tournament was scheduled to take place last autumn, but was postponed due to pandemic restrictions still in place in China. South Korean newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily reports that Jeong's participation in the tournament has been sanctioned by Stuttgart. At the very least, this leaves him unavailable for the fourth, fifth, and sixth 2023/24 Bundesliga matchdays.
Should South Korea progress deeper into the tournament, Jeong won't be back in Germany until mid October. He could potentially miss up to four Bundesliga fixtures. Stuttgart play Mainz, Darmstadt, Köln, and Wolfsburg after the international break. Other VfB players who could conceivably work as a ten include Genki Haraguchi, Enzo Millot, and potentially new signing Angelo Stiller.