Pochettino hails “amazing effort” by Son in Tottenham win

Mauricio Pochettino hailed the impact of Heung-Min Son after the South Korean returned to lead Tottenham to a much needed victory against Watford.

The 26-year-old returned after a spell with his national team at the Asia Cup where South Korea were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by now finalists Qatar, much to the delight of his manager.

Speaking on the matter, Pochettino couldn’t hide his delight at having one his attacking stars back, especially considering the current injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

“Of course he was disappointed to lose the quarter-final against Qatar, he wanted to deliver his best for his country and win the Asian Cup but in the same time, I need to be honest, I am happy he is back because he is helping us to try and win and that is so important.”

Son scored the equaliser in Tottenham’s 2-1 victory on Wednesday night with his constant running and desire to win giving a real boost to his teammates and fans alike.

The natural progression for the four time Best Footballer in Asia is now to become a leader for this Tottenham side when players like Harry Kane are forced to watch from the sidelines.

His loyalty to the Tottenham cause having played for his national side three times in a week is undoubted with his performances giving his Argentinian coach plenty to smile about when asked about the player’s performance.

“Yes, amazing effort, great goal. He showed energy and I am so happy with his performance, but more happy because he showed massive commitment with the team and that is so important to tell everyone, because the energy that he spent and the commitment that he showed I think is a very good point to reward him with a lot of praise or praise from the coaching staff of the club.”

His boss will be keen for him to continue his leadership qualities as Tottenham approach the next month still without Alli and Kane with big games on the horizon in both the Premier League and Champions League.

The lack of activity from Tottenham in the transfer window, with only out-goings being mentioned, means that much of the burden will fall upon Son and fellow goalscorer from the Watford win, Fernando Llorente.

If the South Korean can recapture the form he found before his departure for the Asia Cup, the former Bayer Leverkusen player may well be able to keep Tottenham competitive upon the two fronts they have left.

Up next for Spurs is consecutive home fixtures against Newcastle and Leicester as Pochettino’s side look to keep pace with the top two having closed the gap to second placed Manchester City to just two.