Patrice Evra has stated that he is ‘really surprised’ Son Heung-min wanted to leave Tottenham Hotspur after only his first season in England, as he told Amazon Prime Sport.
The Manchester United legend was reacting to an interview from Son, where he shared that if it wasn’t for Mauricio Pochettino, then he probably would have gone after one season in north London.
Back in 2015, Spurs paid German side Bayer Leverkusen £22 million for Son’s talents (Guardian), and during his first campaign, he netted four Premier League goals.
Some players who come from abroad can need no time at all to settle in, as Dejan Kulusevski proved back in January.
But others might just need those 12 months, just to relax, both on and off the field, before they can steamroll ahead.
And it’s fair to say that Son has steamed forward at some pace after that first campaign, as Evra expressed his surprise at the Tottenham star’s admission.
“I am really surprised because of the player he is,” said Evra. “But I also understand. It’s a completely different culture.
“He reminded me of when Park Ji-Sung was at Manchester United. He was a really shy person. Not everybody was talking to him, so I was always the one making some jokes.
“You have to understand, it’s a completely different culture, so they need time for some adaptation. Sometimes when it’s too hard, you miss your family and you miss your friends. It’s not easy.
“I remember my first six months at Manchester United. At one moment I was like, ‘what the hell I am doing here?’ I was so happy in Monaco.
“I understand it. And I am a little bit surprised because of the way he is enjoying right now at Tottenham.”
SON IS ONE OF TOTTENHAM’S BEST
If it wasn’t for Harry Kane, then Son’s status at Tottenham would be far bigger than it already is.
No-one, from the modern-era, can match what the England captain has produced and might continue to produce during these coming years.
But he’s not done it without his partner in crime, who is closing in on scoring 100 Premier League goals.
From his 243 league games, he has 96 goals and 54 assists and there is no reason why he won’t be raising his bat in the next few months.
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