Sunderland striker JI Dong-won is unlikely to figure for South Korea when they meet Lebanon in Beirut on Tuesday.
The 20-year old came in for criticism from Taeguk Warriors boss Cho Kwang-rae after he was hauled off at half-time of the team's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over UAE on Friday and his spot in the team is now under threat.
"Ji's condition was really bad," said Cho.
"He was not good in training so I considered not to play him and he was worse in the match than I thought so I had to replace him at half-time. His balance is off and his shooting timing is slow. I think he's physically really poor now.
"I don't know if he can be better until we play against Lebanon."
South Korea sit at the top of the Group B table in Asian qualifying, three points clear of Lebanon, and five ahead of third-placed Kuwait with just two games remaining meaning a draw on Tuesday could be enough to put them through to the next stage.
