ABU DHABI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- China head coach Marcello Lippi denied reports that midfielder Wu Lei will return to China for surgery on his collarbone on Tuesday.
Wu, who scored a brace for China in their 3-0 victory against the Philippines, has been suffering from a collarbone injury since China's first group match against Kyrgyzstan.
Some Chinese media had reported that Wu would need to return home for surgery, which would mean China would lose their top scorer for the rest of the tournament.
"I saw the news that Wu Lei was to have surgery in China, but the truth is he will stay with us and he can play in our next games. Our medical team have good communication with the medical team of [Wu's club] Shanghai SIPG, and we know that Wu is getting better," said the Italian.
"We have already qualified for the knockout stages, so Wu will absent from tomorrow's match against South Korea. We don't want to take any risks. After that, he will be ready to play," added the 70-year-old.
China only need a draw from their final match against South Korea to secure top spot in Group C. However, South Korea's star forward Son Heung-min has now arrived in the United Arab Emirates after missing the first two games, boosting their quest to win the 2019 Asian Cup.
"We know Son is a great and dangerous player. [But] South Korea is a strong team with many good players, and they don't only count on Son. So we have to be ready to face the whole team, rather than keeping our eyes only on Son," Lippi said.
