Ange Postecoglou gives cryptic Son Heung-min injury update vs...

Son Heung-min, a star forward for Tottenham, has been sidelined since April 10 in the first leg of the Europa League

quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt. Son was obviously struggling during that match, which ended a run of

subpar performances from the South Korean superstar. Spurs then shut Son down with a persistent foot injury, and

Ange Postecoglou has kept him out of the starting lineup ever since. He left some room for interpretation for a return

in both legs of the semifinals against Bodo Glimt, with greater hope for a second leg return, but the 32-year-old

forward has stayed out of action.

Now, Postecoglou is telling reporters, via The Spurs Express, that he is “half hopeful” that Son Heung-min will get

some minutes off the bench on Sunday when Tottenham face Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Tottenham has just two Premier League games left to prepare for the Europa League Final against Manchester

United, which is scheduled for May 21 in Bilbao. The meeting against the Red Devils will practically determine the

course of the 2024–2025 season.

Son hasn’t been playing at his best this season, but he was already having an impact before Postecoglou’s bus fell off.

Son’s availability in the Europa League Final would be crucial because he is Tottenham’s most accomplished player

and has a strong record of success in European knockout matches.

For that to happen, Son needs to play in, ideally, the Premier League matchup against Crystal Palace and then start

against Aston Villa to show that he’s fit enough to be a better option over Richarlison and Mathys Tel, who have

currently been starting in Son’s absence. Of those two, only Tel has shown that he’s as good of an option as Son right

now, and, based on the last couple of months of form, he may be better.

Son is therefore merely pencilled in as a name and his place in the starting lineup is not assured. Son must thus be

interpreted against Palace, and although Postecoglou’s injury reports at first seem upbeat, the fact that he is just

“half hopeful” is quite ambiguous and undoubtedly tempers the optimism a little. It appears that Son will be called

up for another game on Sunday. Although it is somewhat plausible that he will play ten to fifteen minutes against

Palace, this is by no means a given.

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