Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) may face a prolonged absence.
Tottenham will play Bodø/Glimt (Norway) on May 2 and 9 (Korea time) in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semifinals, first and second legs.
It is uncertain whether Son Heung-min will appear in the first leg. Son Heung-min, who suffered a foot injury during the UEL quarterfinal first leg against Frankfurt (Germany) on the 11th, has since missed three official matches. Following this absence, he also did not participate in the English Premier League (EPL) clash on the 28th. Tottenham lost 1-5 to Liverpool, marking them as early-title sacrificial victims.
There has been analysis suggesting that Son Heung-min is rehabilitating to return to peak condition for the UEL semifinals, the only remaining "hope of winning" this season.
However, following the match against Liverpool, Coach Ange Postecoglou expressed a troubling outlook.
He noted through BBC Sports, "Last Friday, Son Heung-min returned to training, but the decision on his participation against Bodø/Glimt will be made right before the match," adding, "Son Heung-min will do his best to prepare, but it is difficult to confirm whether he will play. Even if he cannot play in the first leg, I believe he will be ready for the second leg." This indicates that Son Heung-min may not be able to play in the upcoming UEL match.
Since donning the Tottenham jersey in 2015, Son Heung-min has been without a title for 10 years. He desires to lift the UEL trophy more than anyone else, and it is an absolute goal this season. However, the atmosphere suggests he has not fully recovered from the injury yet. Coach Postecoglou is expected to handle his use with utmost caution.
Meanwhile, Tottenham requested the league office on the 28th to adjust its EPL schedule for their UEL title journey.
Tottenham, scheduled to play the first leg of the UEL semifinals against Bodø/Glimt on the 2nd, also has an EPL Round 35 match against West Ham set for two days later. On the 9th, they are set to play the second leg against Bodø/Glimt, and on the 11th, they will face Crystal Palace in EPL Round 36.
If they advance to the final, Tottenham will need to travel to Spain for the UEL final on the 22nd, just after their EPL away match against Aston Villa on the 18th.
Tottenham would like to adjust the schedule for their match against Aston Villa in preparation for the UEL final due to concerns about managing player stamina ahead of the away match. Consequently, they requested the EPL office to change the schedule for the Aston Villa match.
However, negotiations do not appear to be easy. BBC reported, "Tottenham wants to move the match to May 15, but Aston Villa is refusing this request."
It further emphasized that there has never been a case of the EPL schedule being adjusted due to European competitions.
Aston Villa is said to be expressing reluctance to change the schedule as various events, including family invitation activities, are planned for their last home game of the season against Tottenham on May 18.
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