Injury expert fears Wolves star Hwang has torn ‘ACL’ and faces ‘nine months out’
On-loan Wolves star Hwang Hee-chan’s injury appears to be minor – but it is impossible to rule out something more sinister.
So says injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Hwang, who signed from RB Leipzig in August, pulled up with an apparent thigh injury in the 1-0 win over Brighton last Wednesday (15 December).
The South Korean international played on after breaking down twice before he was finally substituted in the 15th minute.
As per Birmingham Live last Friday (17 December), Wolves boss Bruno Lage admitted he was “waiting” to glean the extent of the forward’s injury.
Dinnery explained that is too soon to tell with certainty how long the 25-year-old could be ruled out.
“You can sometimes tell by looking at a player’s reaction,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“If a player is rubbing the back of his leg, maybe looking to the sidelines, hopefully that is an indication that isn’t too severe.
“The other reaction is when you pull up sharply. You can be sprinting and then, bang, something’s happened.
“That is more of an indication there is a strain or tear of the muscle. It will also show if the injury is near the glute or closer to the knee, for example.
“From those little observations, you can understand the mechanism and maybe get some sort of projected return timeline.
“But ultimately, you can only make a best-guess observation, but until a player is sent for imaging, you can’t fully understand what is going on.
“You can have your suspicions but I always refer back to that Theo Walcott incident in the North London derby.
“He was stretchered off but he was laughing, joking and having a bit of banter with the crowd.
“Next thing you know, ACL reconstruction and nine months out.”
Hwang has netted four times since his loan move to Molineux.
He scored 45 goals and registered 29 assists in 126 appearances with parent club Leipzig.
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