Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) is at risk of breaking a 10-year record this season.
Tottenham lost 5-1 to Liverpool in the 34th round of the 2024-25 Premier League held at Anfield in Liverpool, England, on the 28th. With 19 losses this season, Tottenham is in 16th place in the league. Liverpool (82 points) has secured its second overall championship in club history.
Son Heung-min, who is suffering from a foot injury, could not play in the match against Liverpool. Contrary to the club's announcement that rehabilitation is going smoothly, the injury is not progressing easily.
Manager Ange Postecoglou noted in an interview with BBC on the 28th, "Son Heung-min is undergoing rehabilitation and treatment in preparation for the first leg of the Europa League on May 2. He is training hard to return, but it seems he won't be ready for the first leg. He should be ready for the second leg."
Son Heung-min's injury worsened due to Tottenham's management failures. Tottenham advanced past the quarter-finals by defeating Frankfurt with a win and a draw. However, an unexpected situation arose. On the 11th, in the first leg against Frankfurt, Son Heung-min was injured due to a deep tackle.
Manager Postecoglou kept Son Heung-min on the field for about 25 minutes after he was injured before substituting him. Tottenham's medical staff is already under scrutiny. They were negligent in managing their most important player, Son Heung-min. Consequently, his return has been delayed longer than expected, and he has missed four consecutive matches.
If Son Heung-min focuses on the away match against Bode on May 9, he will find it difficult to play before that. This season, Son Heung-min has only two matches left against Crystal Palace on May 11 and Aston Villa on the 18th.
Son Heung-min's record is also at risk of being broken. In the 2015-16 season, he scored 4 goals, completing his adjustment to England. The following year, he started with 14 goals and has surpassed 10 goals for 8 consecutive years. Son Heung-min particularly shared the top scorer title with Mohamed Salah in 2022, scoring 23 goals. He became the first Asian player to win the top scorer title.
At this rate, Son Heung-min's double-digit record will stop at 8 years. So far, Son Heung-min has 7 league goals and 9 assists, falling short of expectations. He has not scored from open play for more than three months since the match against Arsenal on January 15.
If Son Heung-min returns as planned for the second leg of the Europa League semifinals, he must score at least 3 goals in the remaining two league matches to maintain the record.
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