The South Korean returned from World Cup duty recently and joined a group in the swing of things under the Spaniard. Hwang was instantly impressed with what he saw, and responded in the right way, coming off the bench against Gillingham to be involved in Wolves’ two goals. The 26-year-old earned the penalty, before assisting Rayan Ait-Nouri for the sealing goal, and is enjoying life under his new head coach.
On working with the new manager
“He has been at the highest level with the likes of Real Madrid and Spain national team. I think there's a lot for me to learn from him. I've been in his training sessions, and even though I've been with many managers in the past who are detail oriented, he really made me think, ‘Wow, he's willing to go this far for the smallest detail.’
“He's giving us many detailed tips. Working with many different managers in some ways has a very positive impact on me as a player. Every manager has his own style and strengths, so I try to learn as much as I can from them tactically.”
On the head coach’s detailed approach
“Obviously, at the attacking end, many managers have given me freedom, giving me opportunities to take defenders on one versus one, and also exchanging one-twos to work myself into dangerous areas.
“But defensively, he's very detailed in that he has specific instructions on how I should play, both when defending the wide areas and also defending central zones. So, from only my second or third session with him, I learned exactly what my role was.”
Raul ➡️ Hwang ➡️ RAN 🥅 pic.twitter.com/ZRORLH64w5
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 21, 2022
On his impact against Gillingham
“The manager is asking me to create plays by both playing wide and also centrally. He wants me to roam around and take defenders on and to play aggressively when there's space available. I have a lot of confidence in situations like that.
“Also, to know that I've got a lot of support from our fans in Korea has given me a boost to perform well at all times. I know very well that many fans are supporting us from Korea. I have confidence that I can do well for them.”
On playing through the winter
“There's something that I've been telling [Son] Heung-min all the time before I came to England, because the Premier League doesn't really have a break in the winter. So, people used to ask Heung-min all the time, ‘Isn't it exhausting? The Premier League is so hard.’
“When I was speaking with him when I was playing in Germany, I remember telling him, ‘If I can play in the Premier League, I would be grateful to play through the season without a break.’ I'm doing that now, so I'm just happy. I also just got a text from [Korea teammate Paik] Seung-ho. He was asking if I'm feeling fatigued, but to be able to play on a stage like this under such good conditions, I'm simply happy and grateful.”
On the hunt for a goal
“I'm slightly disappointed because I couldn't score, but I'm happy to have come on to create and be involved in a goalscoring play. I was able to create good moments and the team also won, so I'm happy.”
