2010 FIFA World Cup Talent Scout: South Korea's Ki Sung-Yong

On day two of the World Cup journey, the watching world has finally seen the first win of the 2010 tournament, courtesy of Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park and Lee Jung-Soo of the J League for South Korea.

Both players had very decent games, superstar Park especially, in a 2-0 victory in which the Koreans weren't troubled greatly by a faltering Greece team.

Cha Du-Ri also displayed his talent at full-back for South Korea, and troubled the Greek defence with superb crosses and charging forward runs on numerous occasions.

However, the key playmaker who held the side together, and really pulled the strings in the middle of the pitch, was Celtic's underrated star Ki Sung-Yong (also spelt Ki Sung-Yueng).

Strengths

The 21-year old holding midfielder performs the role of his position very well, providing the link between defense and attack.

He's a forward-minded player who has the vision, and frequently enough, the accuracy to pick out a good long range pass to the wingers or the target man up-front.

Ki also holds his position well, staying just ahead of the back four and providing resistance when the opponent counter-attacks.

The former FC Seoul playmaker doesn't stray forward all too often either. He provides that all-important defensive resistance, especially against great attacking sides.

He's also a fairly skillful player who's comfortable in possession. He has the dribbling and general technique to evade opponents and create space to pick out a pass.

As a defensive midfield maestro, strength and tackling are vital, and are two big positives in Ki Sung-Yong's game.

Against the Greeks, the young midfielder was accurate on all of his tackles and made his presence felt when defending set-pieces in his own penalty area.

A player in the Scottish Premier League, Ki seems used to the physical demands of the game, and a move down south to England could work out well for a lot of the English Premier League clubs looking for a player at his position.

The fact that he's fluent in English as well, having an Australian father in Peter Liewell and spending most of his youth football career down under, is also a big bonus.

Weaknesses

Ki Sung-Yong's nickname is the "Korean Gerrard". However, Ki doesn't exactly play like the Liverpool talisman.

Most holding midfielders are generally 'box-to-box' players. They charge up and down the field, defending at important times and attacking and scoring at important times.

Ki Sung-Yong knows when not to go forward. However, he doesn't seem to know when the right time to join the attack is.

Four goals in 21 caps for his country might seem satisfactory. But only one international goal before that in 28 appearances for the U-20s and U-23s tells its own story.

And on the club scene, he's yet to get off the mark for Celtic after ten matches. He scored just seven goals in 64 league appearances before that for FC Seoul.

One other big weakness is that he can only use his right-foot effectively, which can majorly limit his forward passing and shooting ability.

Apart from that, there's not too much wrong with Ki's game. He most certainly has the potential to further his strengths and become a very decent player.

A move to the English Premier League would be the best option, or the Bundesliga would also work out well for him.

Current value: £3million

Potential value: £10million