Paik Seung-ho has thanked Birmingham City for helping him earn a recall to South Korea’s national team.
The midfielder moved to Blues from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors towards the end of the January transfer window. Having spent most of his career in Europe before returning to Korea in 2021, Paik opted to move back to the continent after missing out on the Asia Cup squad.
South Korea are now under new management and Paik - who had 15 senior caps prior to joining Blues - played the full 90 minutes in their 1-1 draw with Thailand last week. They will play Thailand in another World Cup qualifier on Tuesday before Paik travels back to Birmingham.
Reflecting on his call-up, Paik said: “It was really important for me. I came back to Europe to get back into the national team. Thanks to Birmingham everything was possible.”
READ: Six injured Birmingham City players missed Gary Rowett's first training session
READ: Gary Rowett has been reunited with his 'incredible' right-hand man
Paik has featured in all 10 matches he has been available for since joining Blues, despite arriving having not played competitively for two months. The midfielder started seven games for Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus but he will now have to win over new interim boss Gary Rowett.
“The beginning was a little bit difficult but I think it’s getting better now thanks to the coaches and my teammates,” Paik, 27, added. “They have helped me a lot. Game to game, I feel better. I need to keep going.
“Now we are in a difficult situation but I think we need to be positive. We need to keep believing and the results will come. We can finish in a better position.”
Youngsters looking to impress Rowett
Blues’ lack of numbers at the moment due to injuries and international call-ups has allowed Rowett to cast his eye over some of the under-21 starlets in his first few training sessions. Highly-rated 17-year-old forward Romelle Donovan has featured regularly in first team squads this season to make 10 appearances across all competitions.
He has been used sparingly in the last two months which has led to him leading the U21s’ charge for promotion from the Professional Development League. Two weeks ago Donovan scored an outrageous goal to help Blues’ second string beat Barnsley 3-1 at St Andrew’s. Describing the goal, U21s boss Steve Spooner said: “It was audacious, wasn’t it? That’s Romelle. He’s capable of those kinds of things.”
Josh Home - an 18-year-old midfielder who has captained the U21s this season - featured prominently in Rowett’s first training session. Home trained with the first team sporadically under John Eustace, Wayne Rooney and Mowbray previously.
And Junior Dixon fans will be delighted to know that he has also been involved under Rowett. The striker has been prolific for the U21s since arriving from Crystal Palace last summer but his form hasn’t translated to first team opportunities.
Whether Rowett feels comfortable throwing a youngster in during Blues’ battle to beat the drop remains to be seen. They should be buoyed by the fact Rowett invested in young players during his first stint at Blues, namely Demarai Gray.
Chang progress update
Alfie Chang won’t be able to help Blues during the run-in having been sidelined since August due to an ACL injury which also saw him dislocate his knee. The midfielder has been confined to the gym at Blues’ training base for the most part, although he is occasionally seen cycling around Henley-in-Arden too.
Blues have released a mini documentary charting Chang’s recovery. “In a weird way it’s about enjoying the journey,” explained Chang. “You know it’s a long process, so when you get your head round it you need to be as positive as possible.
“Ninety percent of it is in the gym. I’m trying to build my strength up. I’m trying to build my quad. When you have two operations and you’re on crutches for a while, you lose a lot of the muscle bulk so my leg was very skinny at that point. A lot of it now is building that back up and getting strong again.”
Ashley Cole honoured
Blues coach Ashley Cole has been inducted into the Premier League hall of fame. Cole is among the finest defenders to grace the English top flight and has been recognised for it.
Not only was Cole part of Arsenal’s Invincibles, he won two further Premier League titles with Chelsea after switching London clubs in 2006.
Upon being inducted into the hall of fame, Cole said: “I’m honoured. You go through your whole career trying to be good enough. As a young kid you never dream of any of this, you take it day by day and game by game, but to reflect on all of this is emotional. It’s humbling, I’m fulfilled.”
