Heung-min Son could be out until next year as Tottenham surgery ‘setback’ claim issued – pundit
Noel Whelan has suggested Tottenham are risking Heung-min Son being out until the New Year after he underwent surgery to patch him up before the World Cup in Qatar later this month.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted it will be “massively disappointing” for Antonio Conte’s side as they prepare to be without the 30-year-old for at least their clash with the Whites on Saturday (12 November).
Taking to his Instagram page (10 November), Son insisted he “can’t wait to represent” South Korea at the World Cup despite undergoing surgery just last week for an eyesocket fracture.
Richarlison, who has missed Tottenham’s last six fixtures with a calf injury, returned to action off the bench against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday (9 November).
Dejan Kulusevski also made a substitute appearance for the second game running as he steps up his recovery from injury.
Tottenham, who have won just two of their last seven games, are struggling for goals as they lean heavily on the output of talisman Harry Kane.
Whelan suggested Spurs could end up “paying down the line” if Son returns from Qatar with a “setback” in his injury recovery.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “It’s a huge blow.
“I saw the incident and it looked very bad at the time. Usually, he doesn’t stay down for too long.
“It’s massively disappointing for Spurs. They’re not firing at the moment, and they’re scraping through games.
“With the injuries they’ve already got as well – it’s a worry. We’ll see Lucas Moura playing that Son role now up with Kane.
“There are a lot of fantastic players now struggling to make the World Cup. We want to see this kind of player at the tournament, but it’s touch and go for him right now.
“Of course, there’s a risk that if they patch him up now, Spurs could end up paying for it down the line and into the New Year if there are any setbacks or new injuries.”
In other news, pundit backs Tottenham to complete multiple January signings after £15.2million windfall.