Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has hailed winger Heung-min Son.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has told the Enfield Independent that he felt winger Heung-min Son was ‘fantastic’ against Sunderland this afternoon.
Spurs entered today’s game having lost 2-1 to Monaco in the Champions League in midweek, but they had made a strong start to the Premier League season with two wins and two draws.
Today’s game against Sunderland was expected to be one-way traffic in favour of Pochettino’s men, and that’s certainly how the match panned out as Tottenham dominated throughout.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min shoots at goal past the challenge of Sunderland’s Jason Denayer
With 74% of possession and a whopping 31 shots on goal, Tottenham were the better side, but could only find the net once as Harry Kane pounced on 59 minutes to score from close range after Sunderland had failed to clear a cross.
Spurs had chances to put the game beyond all doubt but found Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in great form, as the youngster kept Spurs at bay for much of the encounter.
One player who particularly impressed was winger Heung-min Son, who was handed the Sky Sports man of the match award for his display against Sunderland.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min in action with Monaco’s Andrea Raggi
The South Korean international, 24, had been linked with a summer move away from White Hart Lane, but proved his quality last week with two superbly taken goals against Stoke City, before he was substituted at half time against Monaco in midweek.
Son was back at his best again today though, as he starred for Tottenham in this evening’s win, causing no end of problems to the Sunderland back four as he not only hit the post, but also had other chances to score and created opportunities for his team-mates.
After the game, Pochettino told the Enfield Independent that he felt Son was simply ‘fantastic’, but opened up about the player’s turbulent summer in North London.
Pochettino revealed that Son actually wanted to leave Tottenham in order to return to Germany having signed from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, and even came to the Argentinian asking for help.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their first goal with Kyle Walker
“For him it has been tough because last season was tough, he came to me in the summer and said ‘Gaffer, I need your help’. When he came back from the Olympics his idea was to leave, to go to Germany,” said Pochettino. “But it is the club’s decision. In his mind he wants to move, but in the end he stays and fights for his place.”
“He is a very quiet person, very nice, but you need to fight for your place, he understands that. On the training ground, it is not about names, it is about performances, and he has impressed me. I’m happy for him, his first season was very tough, but today his performance was fantastic,” he added.
What did you think of Son’s display against Sunderland?
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