‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham) is spending more time off the field. His absence against Alkmaar in the Europa League, which was supposed to be a light rest, has turned into a potential recurrence of an injury that could prevent him from returning to the A-League in November.
Ahead of the 2024-2025 English Premier League (EPL) Round 9 match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in London, England, on Sunday, manager Anzhi Postecoglou said: “He’s still not 100 percent. He hasn’t fully recovered yet, so I don’t think he will be able to play against Crystal Palace.”
Son’s absence from the roster for the Crystal Palace match was his second consecutive game after the Alkmaar match on May 25. At the time, Postecoglou said, “I was going to rest him even if he wasn’t injured,” 스포츠토토사이트 as if there was nothing wrong with his physical condition.
However, Son hasn’t trained with Tottenham since the game against Alkmaar and has been focusing on his rehabilitation. This means he hasn’t been able to shake off the hamstring (back thigh muscle) injury he suffered against Qarabag in the Europa League on September 27th. The injury also kept him out of the third and fourth matches of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup.
Son made a spectacular comeback on September 19, 22 days after his injury, in a 4-1 EPL Round 8 win over West Ham United, scoring all three of the team’s second-half goals, including his third goal of the EPL season. Son did not play the full match and was substituted, suggesting that he was not fully fit at the time.
Son hasn’t had many injury issues since joining Tottenham in 2015. The only time he was sidelined for an extended period of time was when he suffered an orbital fracture just before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Because of his prolonged breakthroughs, he has often injured his hamstrings, but has shown remarkable resilience, returning early.
Son seemed to shrug off this injury as well, but his absence has been prolonged. In a recent interview, he said, “I play every game as if it’s my last,” which raises questions about his age and resilience.
Premier Injury predicted that Son could return on November 3 against Aston Villa. However, if it is delayed further, he will not be able to play in the November A match. The men”s national soccer team may also need to consider options.