Son Heung-min has revealed that he made it clear to South Korea boss Jurgen Klinsmann that he wanted to play in the friendly against Vietnam on Tuesday.
It has been well documented over recent weeks that Son is not 100 per cent fit and is playing through a groin issue (The Athletic), with the Tottenham captain unable to complete 90 minutes in the wins over Liverpool and Luton Town.
The 31-year-old was rested by Klinsman in South Korea’s 4-0 win over Tunisia last week in what was a big boost to Ange Postecoglou and Spurs.
However, Son did start for his national side in their 6-0 drubbing of Vietnam at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, with the away side being reduced to ten men in the second half.
(Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Heung-min Son pushed to start for South Korea
There was a moment of concern as Son was seen limping into the dressing room at half-time (Football.London) but the forward played the entirety of the second-half, finding the back of the net on 61 minutes.
Speaking after the game, the Tottenham man said (via Sungmo Lee): “I discussed with the gaffer (Klinsmann) and said I will play the game as I cannot forgive myself if I don’t play for the Korea national team in front of Korean fans when I already return to Korea.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Spurs fans will be frustrated that Son was involved in what is essentially a meaningless friendly, the 31-year-old is someone who is desperate to play in every single game.
The signs are that he has come through the game unscathed and thankfully for Spurs, he will have a few days to recover as we are not in action until Monday afternoon.
Have something to tell us about this article?
