Jurgen Klinsmann explains Son Heung-min plan as best-case Tottenham injury scenario emerges
Tottenham news - Ange Postecoglou has carefully managed Son Heung-min over the last few weeks as he continues to deal with groin injury
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min looks set to feature heavily for South Korea over the international break despite playing through the last few weeks with groin injury. The 31-year-old, who is also captain of his country, has been substituted early by Ange Postecoglou as Spurs attempt to manage his minutes in an attempt to keep him in the starting XI.
After being named as the new club captain, Son has started the 2023/24 season in fine form with six goals in eight Premier League appearances. Following the departure of Harry Kane, Richarlison was placed in the central role in the first few games with Son on the left, however the attacking duo have now swapped positions to great affect.
Injuries have also forced the decision to be easier for Postecoglou with Brennan Johnson, Manor Solomon and Ivan Perisic all unavailable. In last weekend's victory over Liverpool, Son was taken off just past the hour mark which saw concerns over an injury become more prominent with Postecoglou later revealing the reason for his decision.
"Look, he wasn’t 100% but I had a chat with him yesterday and he was desperate to play," Postecoglou said after the Liverpool win. "He was going to give what he could and he did. He was never going to play the whole 90, we were always going to give him an hour or so but he led from the front again and he was the one doing the pressing. He got his goal as well so great captain's effort."
In an attempt to ensure he was fit for the weekend, Son had been training less, but ahead of the Luton game, Postecoglou confirmed he was fine and had trained in the lead up to the match. Nonetheless, there are still worries surrounding his fitness, especially now the international break has arrived with the comments from South Korea manager Jurgen Klinsmann not providing much hope of a rest for Son.
"It's natural for European players to feel fatigued," he said. "It will be difficult to adjust to the time difference. Son Heung-min will be less tired. There’s no European competition." However, as per South Korean journalist Steve Han, the former Tottenham striker did admit that he may reduce the training load for certain players.
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Another boost for Spurs and Son comes with the scheduling of the fixtures after South Korea play Vietnam on Tuesday, October 17. While many other players may only make it back for one training session before a weekend game, Spurs are not in action against Fulham until the Monday night, which could give Son a crucial extra few days to rest.