Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham), who has been absent for a long time due to injury, is finally returning.
Tottenham won 3-1 against Norway's Bodo in the first leg of the semifinals of the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on May 2. Tottenham will advance to the final if they draw in the second leg away in Norway on the 9th.
Son Heung-min, who suffered a foot injury, has missed five consecutive matches. Tottenham's Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke scored successive goals to secure the victory.
A variable in the series is indeed Son Heung-min's injury. Tottenham advanced by defeating Frankfurt 1 win and 1 draw in the quarterfinals. However, an unexpected situation arose. On the 11th, Son Heung-min sustained a foot injury from a deep tackle in the first leg against Frankfurt. Since then, he has been absent for five consecutive matches.
There is some silver lining in the misfortune. Finally, Sonny is returning. The 'Spurs Express' reported, "Son Heung-min has finally returned to team training. Son Heung-min is training hard with the goal of returning for the second leg against Bodo. Tottenham will face Bodo in the second leg on the 9th. There is enough time before Son Heung-min's return."
Tottenham, facing a crisis of no titles, will gain a major boost. The presence of captain and superstar Son Heung-min is irreplaceable. The 'Spurs Express' praised, "Tottenham has not shown the right performance in important matches. The return of the captain and best player Son Heung-min will be significant. Although Son Heung-min struggled in 2025, he remains Tottenham's best attacker."
However, it seems Son Heung-min will miss the away match against West Ham on the 4th. With Son Heung-min not at 100%, Tottenham, currently sitting in 16th place in the league, has no reason to rush him back.
Son Heung-min's record is still in jeopardy. He adapted to English football with 4 goals in the 2015-16 season. Starting with 14 goals the following year, he has scored over 10 goals for eight consecutive years. Son Heung-min notably shared the top scorer title with Mohamed Salah with 23 goals in 2022, becoming the first Asian player to win the top scorer award.
This season, Son Heung-min has scored 7 goals and provided 9 assists, which is a lower performance than usual. If this continues, Son Heung-min's record of double-digit goals will stop at eight years. He has not scored a field goal for more than three months since the match against Arsenal on January 15.
If Son Heung-min returns as scheduled for the second leg of the Europa League semifinals, there are three league matches remaining against Crystal Palace (11th), Aston Villa (18th), and Brighton (26th). For Son Heung-min to maintain his record, he needs to score at least 3 goals in the remaining league matches. If Son Heung-min returns to his best condition, it is certainly possible.
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