Son Heung-min's winning project is progressing step by step.
Tottenham will play the final of the Europa League (UEL) in 2024-2025 season against Manchester United at San Mames Barria in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd (Korea time). It is a golden opportunity for Son Heung-min to win his first career championship.
Ahead of the UEL final, Tottenham held an open training and media day at the club's training ground in London, England, on the 12th. Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou said Son Heung-min is recovering well.
Postecoglou gave a positive evaluation regarding Son's return. "(Son Heung-min) is in a very good condition physically. It was really important to play for even a few minutes yesterday`.
Son Heung-min returned after eight matches against Crystal Palace. He played as a substitute in the 13th minute of the second half and played for about 35 minutes. Son Heung-min's sharp movements remained, although his performance was not 100% yet because it was his first appearance in a long time.
Son Heung-min trained on the 13th, the day after he played in the game. In response, Postecoglou said "I didn't complete the entire training because I played yesterday, but I did well in today's training as well."
He then said "Son Heung-min himself feels in good condition, and we still have eight to nine days left. We have a game against Aston Villa, so we will be able to gradually increase our playing time." Son Heung-min is expected to do his best against Manchester United after improving his condition by playing against Villa.
Postecoglou said Son's return will be a big boost. "It's very positive that Son can play again," he said. This season he has played a key role within the team and knows better than anyone what the trophy means for the club and himself. He is a player who has achieved everything here, but he has not yet achieved his last task of winning. He fully understands how important the trophy is to the club and to the individual players. Therefore, his return is very welcome."
There are about four days left until the game against Villa. Postecoglou will control Son's playing time. He said "The physical part is recovering stably. He played for about 25 to 30 minutes against Palace, and is expected to be able to play against Villa. If you follow the training well, you will be able to maintain your current condition well," he said, giving a positive outlook.
Coach Postecoglou also said that the injury that plagued Son Heung-min was a little unusual. He said "This injury was rather unusual. There was no clear recovery period. Everything changed depending on his physical condition and his speed of recovery. He has also worked closely with medical staff and focused on recovery. The important thing is for him to come back into the game, and we are looking forward to the moment" he explained.
One of Tottenham's weaknesses with Manchester United is that there are no players with a lot of experience on the big stage. Most of the players are young, too. That's why experienced players like Son Heung-min and Ben Davies are important. The two players have also experienced the final stage of the European Champions League (UCL) in the 2018-2019 season.
Postecoglou also said, `Davis and Son Heung-min have been here for a long time, and I know that opportunities like that don't come often. You don't take exams every year. The last test was six years ago. So when the opportunity comes, you have to catch it. We cannot conclude that there will be another opportunity next year or the year after. The two will be a good reference for the other team members."
Son Heung-min also had a stronger desire to win than anyone else. Son Heung-min said in an interview with Korean media such as Sports Chosun on the 12th, `I think I'm here because the biggest reason I stayed at Tottenham and the reason I wanted to do things that others couldn't do. You need all the pieces to make a puzzle. I think I got every piece right to make such a puzzle. At the end of the day, it seems that the most important last piece is lacking. I think I searched for the piece and wandered around for 10 years. I wish I could do the puzzle this time"He showed his strong will to win the championship.
Son Heung-min also said, `I think this game is an opportunity that will never come back. That's why I think it's right to focus all the focus on this game. I'm focusing a lot on the game. I hope you don't regret it this time because I think you need to make your physical condition according to the game. For the fans who really want it more than me, I want to give a great gift to Korean fans and Tottenham fans when we go back to Korea"I vowed to win the championship for the fans."
If Son wins, he will become the fourth Korean ever to win the UEL. The first winner is Cha Bum-kun.
Reporter Kim Dae-sik rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
