Manager Ange Postecoglou said on Friday that Son Heung-min, 32, is likely to miss Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace this weekend, meaning the squad would likely be without their captain for the second consecutive game.
Son felt sore after scoring in last weekend’s triumph against West Ham United, therefore he was removed from Thursday’s Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar. Son’s hamstring injury kept him out of South Korea’s World Cup qualifying this month.
Before Sunday’s game, Postecoglou told reporters, “Sonny isn’t right yet. He won’t train today because he’s still not feeling 100%.”
“He’s unlikely for the weekend and we’ll see how he is beyond that.”
However, Spurs defeated the Dutch team 1-0, and Postecoglou was pleased with how midfielder James Maddison took charge and led the club.
“He’s a vice-captain, one of our leaders,” the manager informed them.
Spurs have had difficulty establishing a winning run and currently sit seventh in the league with 13 points from eight games. However, compared to last season, when they finished fifth, the 59-year-old, who joined last year, claimed the team was more reliable.
“Last year’s results were fantastic and greatly reflected our passion and vigour. However, we rapidly saw that it wasn’t sustainable,” he continued.
The manager did, however, warn against underestimating Palace, who are in 18th place with just three points and have lost the season.
“They’re going through a tough spell, but they’ve still got talent in that team,” he stated.
“You get a feeling with them that, once they do turn it around, they could go on a run like they did last year.”
