Tottenham Hotspur may be without Heung-min Son for seven games in January and February of next year due to the Asian Cup, but only if South Korea make it all the way to the final.
It wasn’t the best of seasons for Son last year, with the 30-year-old struggling for form and confidence under Antonio Conte.
There was a slight improvement in his fortunes in the final few games of the 2022/23 campaign, but overall it was a sub-par showing from the Tottenham attacker.
(Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
Goals were hard to come by for Son for much of the season, but he ended the campaign with 14 goals and six assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt).
Son recently told TV Chosun (as translated by journalist Steve Han) that he had suffered from a hernia injury for much of the season which restricted his movement. He has since undergone surgery to resolve this.
Spurs will be hoping Heung-min Son can be a key player for them again in the forthcoming season, but they may have to make do without him in the New Year.
Asian Cup could keep Son busy until February
The delayed 2023 Asian Cup will now take place in Qatar between January 12 and February 10 2024 (FootballLondon).
South Korea have qualified for the 24-team tournament and, if Jurgen Klinsmann’s side go all the way, Tottenham could be without their star man for up to seven matches.
South Korea have group games against Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain scheduled in, and will be hoping to have a shot at the top prize.
However, if they were to crash out in the group stages, Son could be back with Tottenham by the end of January to face Brentford.
If South Korea were to do well out in Qatar, and Spurs were to progress in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, they will likely be without Son for key games.
The South Korea captain could well be tied up and miss the FA Cup fourth round and both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Here’s a rundown of the fixtures Son could miss in a worst-case scenario:
January 10 – Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
January 13 or 20 – Manchester United (A)
January 24 – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg
January 27 – FA Cup fourth round
January 30 – Brentford (A)
February 3 – Everton (A)
February 10 – Brighton (H)
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Obviously, we want Sonny to do well out there and do his country proud, but those are some key fixtures there and it would be a shame to lose him for so long.
Hopefully, we make some signings and have adequate squad cover by that point.
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