Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a blow in preparations for their Europa League semi-final on Thursday - with reporter Alasdair Gold stating that South Korean legend Son Heung-min didn't partake in training ahead of their showdown with Bodo/Glimt.
Spurs' season has been notable for all the wrong reasons: crashing out of the FA Cup early, losing heavily in their League Cup semi-final with Liverpool and, above all else, suffering a shambolic campaign in the Premier League. But the Europa League could be their saving grace, with the chance to end their trophy drought and qualify for next season's Champions League as a result of winning the tournament.
But they may have to do so without their 'world-class' star, with Gold posting on X (formerly Twitter) that Ange Postecoglou was without the forward in training on Wednesday morning - which could prohibit them against the Norwegian minnows. Posting on social media, the Football London journalist stated:
"No Son Heung-min in Spurs training this morning."
Son hasn't had his best season by any means, but he's still scored 11 goals in all competitions under the Australian boss, and with 12 assists, he's still had a huge say in Tottenham's campaign despite it being well below-par. Having made 451 appearances for the club with 173 goals and 98 assists to boot, he'll be massively important in the final few games of the European campaign - and Postecoglou will be wary of his missing influence through injury.
Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert will be the top candidates to fill in for the South Korean legend, with Mikey Moore an outside shout. But with Tel having started in their previous Europa League clash in the incredible 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt two weeks ago, he could be trusted to feature alongside Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson in a goal-grabbing front three, to give Spurs a huge advantage ahead of their trip to the Arctic Circle next week.