Son Heung-min's overwork is expected to continue as Tottenham Hotspur strikers' injuries are prolonged.
Tottenham will play Manchester City in the 12th round of the English Premier League in the 2024-25 season at 2:30 a.m. on the 24th (Korea Standard Time) at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England.
Tottenham ranks 10th in the Premier League with 16 points (5 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses) from the past 11 matches. Manchester City, which has been suffering from four consecutive losses in recent official matches, is ranking second in the league with 23 points (7 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses).
Ahead of the big match against Manchester City, Postecoglou attended the press conference on Tuesday. He mentioned the conditions of Brazilian striker Hichalisson and French winger Odover while recovering from injury.
First of all, French winger O'Doubert, born in 2004, is a player Tottenham hired by Burnley this summer for a transfer fee of 30 million pounds (about 53 billion won) including options.
O'Doubert, who Tottenham ambitiously recruited, has not played many games since his debut season due to thigh injuries. Eventually, on the 16th, O'Doubert decided to go on the operating table and undergo right muscle surgery for a full recovery.
He was replaced by Son Heung-min in the second half of the 10th round of the Premier League against Aston Villa on the 4th, but he was injured 26 minutes after he was deployed and replaced again.
His diagnosis revealed that he has a hamstring injury. He was expected to be absent for about a month due to this, but Postecoglou said his absence could be extended.
According to the British media "Football London," Postecoglou said, "Obviously, O'Doubert will not be able to play for a considerable period of time during the season, and I hope Hichalisson will return in the new year." This means that Hichalisson will not be able to return within 2024.
Tottenham's promising winger Mikey Moore, born in 2007, also announced his absence from the match against Manchester City, saying, "Moore will still not be able to play."
Moore was recently infected with the virus and did not attend the Galatasaray (Turkiye) expedition on the 8th. He was expected to recover soon, not through injury, but the recovery period is getting longer.
Son Heung-min is expected to be unable to rest until the injured return as three strikers are not in good condition and cannot play.
Son suffered a thigh injury in September and took a three-week rest. He remained at the club during the A-match period in October and was committed to recovery, but immediately returned to the injured list due to recurrence of pain.
As Tottenham's key player Son Heung-min's injury recurred, Postecoglou began to manage Son's playing time. When Son helped the tying goal with a sharp cross in the match against Villa to make the score 1-1, he decided to leave Son out at 11 minutes in the second half. Son expressed discontent at the early replacement, but the coach's determination was firm.
In addition, he started Son Heung-min in the fourth match of the UEFA Europa League against Galatasaray, but replaced him as soon as the first half was over. Even though his team was losing 1-3, he excluded his key striker, showing that he is putting priority on taking care of Son's body more than the result. 안전놀이터
Afterwards, Son played the starting full time in the 11th round of the Premier League against Ipswich Town on the 11th, showing that his physical condition is close to 100 percent. However, in order to play many games in the future, management of playing time is necessary, and Son's burden has increased as all the players who will play on behalf of Son have been injured.