Yangel Herrera has backed Minsu Kim to continue developing at Rangers, giving the Ibrox winger a timely endorsement from a former Girona teammate.
According to the Daily Record’s report of Herrera’s comments ahead of South Korea’s friendly with Venezuela, the Real Sociedad midfielder has followed Kim’s progress since their time together in Spain.
Herrera and Kim were briefly teammates at Girona before the Spanish club sold the 20-year-old to Rangers for £8.5million in the summer window.
The move has worked out well for the Minsu Kim Rangers project so far, with the attacker already carving out a role under Derek McInnes.
Minsu Kim will grow into a better player
Herrera left Girona for Real Sociedad 12 months ago, but he has followed Kim’s progress closely since his own exit.
In the Daily Record report, he recalled a player who stood out in training long before his move to Scotland.
“I saw Minsu Kim at Girona when he was still very young. He had great ability and was an outstanding player. That was also how he was regarded within the club. He has moved to Rangers, but I’m rooting for him to continue developing his strong abilities and grow into an even better player.”
The pair will be reunited when South Korea face Venezuela in a friendly, 12 months after Herrera swapped Girona for Real Sociedad.
His words carry weight given how closely he watched Kim’s early development in Catalonia.
Kim’s early impact at Ibrox
Kim’s rise has been rapid. He made just a handful of appearances for Girona this season before Rangers paid £8.5million for him, yet he has already carved out a role under Derek McInnes.
His loan last season with FC Andorra in La Liga 2 has been productive, yet the Rangers sprongboard has catapulted him into the national team scene, and he is thriving.
Herrera clearly believes there is more to come.
Derek McInnes has featured the Korean in the number 10 role, and out wide.
That role has grown since Kim featured in the Ibrox Celtic win and the follow-up victory over Celtic last month. Those results sent Rangers through to the Premier Sports Cup semi-final and cut the gap to Celtic at the top of the table to two points.
Minsu Kim braced for impact
Kim’s form for Rangers has translated into international recognition too.
He won his first senior cap for South Korea as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Ecuador last Thursday, as detailed in our tribute to his debut.
He returned from the bench four days later as South Korea lost 4-1 to Uruguay.
Kim admitted he had not expected to feature so soon.
Quoted by the Daily Record, he said: “I didn’t know I would play in the first match after being selected in the squad.”
“I was more nervous and trembling than in any game in my life because I was representing the Republic of Korea. It was a dream come true because it was a situation I had always wished for and so even though it was short, it felt wonderful.”
Kim also credited new South Korea manager Robert Moreno with helping him settle in quickly.
Quoted by the Daily Record, he said: “I was able to communicate with our new manager Robert Moreno in Spanish. He explained the team’s tactics in detail, so I understood them well and was able to make a good debut, I think.”
“He taught me how to be effective as a winger.
Kim added: “To increase my playing time going forward, I must be well prepared. I will give everything to play for the national team again.”
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