Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou appears excited to unleash a returning Son Heung-min after three weeks out with a hamstring injury. The Spurs captain suffered the muscular issue in the late stages of the Europa League clash against Qarabag which saw him miss the next three games and international duty with South Korea.
Wilson Odobert has also been absent through injury which has seen Timo Werner and Mikey Moore utilised more frequently. Richarlison has also missed the last two months but both he and Son could return to action against West Ham.
"He [Richarlison] has had a good week of training and he has missed playing," Postecoglou admitted on Friday. "He is a real infectious guy as well so good to have him back with the group. Sonny is good [as well]. He's worked hard these two weeks.
"He was obviously very disappointed to miss playing for his national team, but I think it's been good for him these two weeks. He's worked really hard, had a good solid training week and yeah he can't wait to get back out there. He's good to go."
A start for Son against West Ham is far more likely than one being handed out to Richarlison given he has not featured in the last eight weeks. Beyond that, Postecoglou's words certainly spell as a warning to Tottenham's upcoming opponents that Son is raring to go having been handed his first significant rest in some time.
During the early stages of Postecoglou's tenure, the 32-year-old would often miss training in order to feature at the weekend. In the 2023/24 campaign, he missed just three Premier League games with that absence due to the Asia games where he represented South Korea.
With the Lilywhites back in Europe and Son not getting any younger, managing his minutes will be crucial but no competitive football in 23 days could do wonders for him. Given he has been a regular starter for some time now, any absence will likely see him frustrated on the sidelines unable to help his teammates.
A lack of match sharpness could be a concern for Postecoglou but the more likely scenario is that Son is chomping at the bit to play again and Spurs will hope to feel the full impact of that.
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