Tottenham face potential injury blow after star played 90 minutes without ‘much training’

Tottenham Hotspur could be faced with a big injury concern ahead of the Premier League’s return this weekend. The league leaders are set to host Fulham next Monday but they could be without captain and star goalscorer Heung-min Son.

The winger has been on international duty with South Korea and missed last week’s clash with Tunisia but returned to the starting linup against Vietnam on Tuesday, despite having some injury worries. Son admitted he was unsure whether he was fit enough to play this week, as a groin injury had prevented him from fully training. But his desire to play in front of the South Korean fans trumped any worry he had.

The Spurs star contributed to the 6-0 win with a second half goal but he was visibly in discomfort and seen grimacing towards the end of the match. However, he stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes and shed some light on his situation after the game.

“Injuries are an inevitable part of living as a footballer. I was worried about whether to play in today’s game, but I couldn’t accept coming to Korea and not playing in front of the fans,” Son said in a post-match interview.

“I discussed with the coach and told him I would play in the game. I couldn’t participate much in training, but I’m grateful to the coach for respecting my decision.”

Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann confirmed the ‘original plan’ was for Son to play 90 minutes and there was ‘no problem’ with him when assessed at the hour mark.

There has been no official update on Son’s groin problem yet but Spurs will be hoping it won’t keep him out of action. Ange Postecoglou’s side are flying in the Premier League right now and lead their rivals Arsenal and reigning champions Manchester City at the top of the table.