Guus Hiddink, a Dutch soccer manager who led the South Korean squad to the 2002 World Cup finals, is set to receive knee surgery from a national team doctor here.

 “Hiddink will visit Korea early next year and receive surgery on his right knee for arthritis,” said Song Joon-seop, head doctor of the Korean soccer team.

Hiddink previously underwent an operation on his right knee in 2001, when he was the head coach of the Korean team.

When he flew in to Seoul to cheer for the Korean team during a warm-up match with Brazil last month, Hiddink met with Song and talked about his arthritis. The former head coach subsequently agreed to the surgery method put forward by Song, a leading orthopedic surgeon.

By Im Woo-jung, Intern reporter
(iwj@heraldcorp.com)