South Korean football club Gangwon FC said Friday they've promoted their chief scout to head coach to prepare for the next season.
Gangwon, currently sixth in the K League Classic with just two matches remaining, said Song Kyung-sub will be their new boss. He will fill the around two-month vacancy left by Choi Yun-kyum who stepped down in August.
"Song is a coach who studies hard and works with passion," Gangwon said in a statement. "Instead of looking for big-name coaches, we looked for a coach who has potential and a good attitude."
Song, 46, mainly worked in youth football, managing nearly all age levels of the national team. His pupils include Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur and Lee Chung-yong of Crystal Palace.
Song, who played for Busan Daewoo Royals (now Busan I Park) and Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the 1990s, briefly coached Jeonnam Dragons last season after the club had to demote its existing manager over a coaching license issue.
This year, he joined newly promoted club Gangwon as head scout and searched for promising players.
"If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't have signed the contract," Song said. "I will deliver new hope with my experience."
Song, who was also an assistant coach with FC Seoul, said he wants to make Gangwon a balanced team.
"I will play a football that shows our strength in the midfield with quick passing plays," he said. "I will come up with tactics that can best use our players' abilities."
Gangwon said Song will officially make his coaching debut against Ulsan Hyundai on Nov. 19, the last day of the 2017 season. (Yonhap)