Paul O’Keeff, who plays for Football Insider in England and is fluent in Tottenham’s internal news, said on his personal SNS on the 11th (Korea time), “There is positive news for change. Tottenham hopes that Son Heung-min and Hisalisson will be able to fully train with the team next week and compete for the match against West Ham. Even Wilson O’Doubert could return to training.”
This is the first news of Son Heung-min’s return after he was injured. When the A-match schedule is completed, Tottenham will play West Ham in the English Premier League (EPL) on the 19th.
Son suffered a hamstring injury in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) match against Karabak FK on June 27. Son sat down and asked for replacement, but some predicted that it would not be a serious injury.
After the match, Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou said, “I felt tiredness in my hamstring. We have to see if it is just an injury or fatigue,” adding, “It is not clear yet whether it is an injury or not.”
In addition, ahead of the match against Manchester United, which was the next game after Caravac, he predicted that Son Heung-min would be able to play against Manchester United, saying, “Son Heung-min is not in bad condition, and the player wants to train.”
However, Son did not accompany him in the match against Manchester United. Having skipped the match against Manchester United, Son was not called up even on an away trip to Hungary for a UEL match against Ferencvaros. After the match against Ferencvaros, the Korea Football Association said, “He was judged to need rest due to his left thigh injury, so the final decision was made to exclude him from the call-up for October in order to protect the players.”
A positive outlook came out that Son Heung-min, who suffered a hamstring injury, could play again against West Ham United. <Copyrights holder (c) Yonhap News, unauthorized reproduction-redistribution, prohibition of learning and using AI>
Originally, Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo had direct communication with Son and decided to call him up for the October A-match. However, the decision seems to have been reversed due to Son’s poor injury.
“I don’t think Son will be able to play in the match. I am working hard, but under the current circumstances, his progress is not fast enough to include Son,” Postecoglou told a news conference ahead of the match against Brighton. “It is difficult for Son to return to the match at the moment.”
It was the first time in about two years that Son Heung-min missed three consecutive games since he suffered an orbital fracture just before the Qatar World Cup in November 2022.
After Postecoglou’s press conference, there were concerns that Son’s hamstring injury would be prolonged. This is the fourth time Son has suffered a hamstring injury in his career. Unfortunately, his left side became a problem whenever his hamstring caused trouble four times. In addition, he was also concerned that his rehabilitation period has been getting longer since his first injury. When he suffered his third hamstring injury in January 2022, Son took four weeks off.
Assuming that he takes about four weeks off again this time, Son Heung-min could only return to the team at the end of October. For Tottenham, which needs to improve its performance in the league right now, the delay in Son Heung-min’s return from injury is a fatal bad news.
Contrary to concerns, Tottenham fans are also welcoming the news that Son Heung-min’s condition is improving rapidly.
However, Son should be able to play the match while fully recovering. Son is now 32 years old, which is a considerable age. If a player plays a match without 100 percent recovery, his injury may recur. Thorough management is required for hamstring injuries because they can become chronic diseases if mismanaged.
Not only Son Heung-min but also Hishalisson, who is testing the patience of Tottenham fans, may return. Hishalisson, who stayed at Tottenham after refusing to move to Saudi Arabia last summer, has been agonizing over his fans as he played for only 25 minutes this season. With Dominic Solanke’s position rapidly strengthening, it remains to be seen how many chances he will have to play.
O’Dober’s return is also good news. O’Dober, a promising player recruited ambitiously by Tottenham this season, was injured in the North London derby last September and collapsed. He predicted that he would be able to return after about two months due to a serious hamstring injury.
Was it because he was young in 2004 that he recovered quickly? He will be able to return to injury in just a month. If Son Heung-min, Hisalisson and Odover and 꽁머니 all return, Tottenham will be a complete team.
Meanwhile, while Son Heung-min was out due to injury, issues related to the renewal of his contract with Tottenham poured in. Before being injured, Son said he had not yet negotiated with Tottenham on renewing his contract. Since then, there have been reports in the UK that Tottenham will issue a one-year extension clause, not a renewal of his contract with Son.
This is likely to become a reality.