Heung-min Son could miss the rest of the season with a broken arm as Tottenham’s problems with injuries to star players continue.
It is believed Son suffered the injury in an early challenge with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa on Sunday and played on through the game. He will now have surgery on the injury.
Jose Mourinho’s surging Spurs are now just one point off the top four ahead of their massive clash at London rivals Chelsea on Saturday (Watch live, 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) but without Harry Kane until at least April and now without Son at a pivotal stage of the season, they have lost their two main attacking threats.
Here is what Mourinho said when asked if he expects Son to play again this season, as Spurs initially said in a statement that he would only be out for a “number of weeks” after surgery.
“I don’t. If he plays one game or two games, it’s because he (head of communications, Simon Felstein) is very optimistic. I hope he’s right but in my mind, no. In my mind, I’m not thinking about that. If I was the one to write the statement, I would write different. So you can understand what I mean. We miss him,” Mourinho said.
Son has scored six goals in his last five games for Spurs, plugging the gap left behind by Kane’s serious hamstring injury in early January. The South Korean star scored twice in the 3-2 win at Aston Villa on Sunday, including a 94th minute winner to push Tottenham right back into the top four race.
All eyes will now be on Steven Bergwijn who will be asked to support Lucas Moura, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso in attack as Spurs do have other options but it is clear Kane and Son are their main goal threats and can be the focal points.
Losing Son is another massive blow for Mourinho but he loves to play the underdog role and will relish it away at Stamford Bridge this Saturday as he returns to Chelsea looking for his first win since 2010 as an opposition manager on his old stomping ground. First up is a UEFA Champions League clash with RB Leipzig as a new hero needs to emerge to take the place of Kane and now Son.