Ange Postecoglou hailed the professionalism of Tottenham capt NJain Son Heung-min ahead of his quick return for Saturday’s clash with Brighton following South Korea’s Asian Cup exit.
Son was disappointed on Tuesday after South Korea lost shockingly to Jordan in the Doha semifinals.
However, in order to play against the Seagulls, Tottenham’s top scorer of the year returned to England and trained with Postecoglou’s team on Friday.
Postecoglou, whose team is currently fifth in the Premier League, stated, “It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him be like that.
“After Korea defeated Australia, he was really sad with their elimination because they had not won in a long time and were so close to victory when they reached the semi-finals.
“However, anyone who watched the competition (knows) he gave it everything for his country and left no doubt about his patriotism.”
“Although he was exhausted at the end, he expressed a strong desire to return and reunite with the boys when I spoke with him shortly after. He was eager to return to this place.”
Son’s return, who has scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season, is the most recent encouragement for Tottenham, who featured Pape Sarr in their draw with Everton last week.
Sarr has been traveling with Senegal to the Africa Cup of Nations.
In addition, Postecoglou will have Yves Bissouma available for this weekend’s match against Brighton, his former team.
After battling illness, Bissouma had a difficult Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Mali, but Postecoglou gave an update on his health.
“Yves had a slight form of malaria before the tournament started, but it cleared up after the tournament started,” he stated. “He had no issues after that.”
