Ramon Vega has suggested that a reason behind Son Heung-min’s poor form is the possibility the Tottenham forward ‘isn’t fit’, as he told the Football Show on Sky Sports.
Tottenham’s flying star on the left is yet to get on the scoresheet this season and Vega thinks Antonio Conte’s gruelling demands are taking a toll on the player.
But the former Spurs player thinks Son will reap the benefits of that as the season grows and he’s ‘not worried’ about the versatile forward not getting back to his best.
When you set the bar high, as Son has done, then even the slightest of drop-offs is going to be mentioned and talked about a lot.
That is what’s happening with the £22 million superstar from South Korea (Guardian), who won the Golden Boot last season, alongside Mo Salah, and he beat the likes of Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane to that prize.
Nonetheless, with Vega also experiencing how Italian coaches are, when it comes to fitness and demands, he feels this is a wave of struggle Spurs need to get through before they will feel the benefits during the crunch moments of the campaign.
“I played in Serie A, when Conte also played there,” said Vega. “I went through the regime in terms of pre-season, in terms of from an Italian mentality. I know the Italians are extremely concentrated on the physical and mental side of training camps.
On if Son is struggling partly because of that: “I think so, it could be a possibility. I think Son, and all these guys, I am not too sure they are used to, during the last two or three seasons, to be like that.
“Son has been on the back-burner, but let’s be frank, he has been carrying the team for a long, long time. He is a very loyal servant to the club. When Kane was injured, he was the one who really leads that team and scores.
“Now, it’s the first time we see Son underperforming. Not scoring. I am not worried. I think, from Son’s point of view, he might be in a period where he’s not potentially fit because it’s one of the parts I might see into it.”
TOTTENHAM CAN MOVE TO THE TOP OF THE TABLE
A number of Premier League games have been postponed this weekend, but Tottenham’s home clash against Leicester City goes ahead.
This game could possibly see the north London club move to the top of the Premier League table heading into the international break, that’s if they can secure all three points against Brendan Rodgers’ struggling side, and other results go in their favour.
Manchester City will kick off proceedings at 12:30 pm, when they travel to Wolves, if they drop points and Spurs win later on in the day, then they will proudly sit top and then hope Arsenal don’t beat Brentford on Sunday.
Either way, Tottenham may have suffered their first defeat of the season at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, but that unbeaten run is still going in the Premier League.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
