Ange Postecoglou has launched a passionate defence of Heung-min Son, pointing out that the Tottenham captain’s output this season certainly does not suggest that he is on the decline.
Son enters the final year of his deal at Spurs this June and it does not appear as if the North London club are in a rush to offer their star man a new deal.
In fact, reports over recent weeks have indicated that there are concerns at Hotspur Way over the 32-year-old’s waning influence. Some at Tottenham worry Heung-min Son could leave this summer.
However, the South Korean served as a reminder of what he is capable of in Tottenham’s win 4-1 win at Portman Road Stadium over the weekend, setting up Brennan Johnson‘s two first-half goals with fantastic pieces of play down the left.
Ange Postecoglou leaps to Tottenham captain’s defence
Those two assists against Ipswich means that the Tottenham captain has 20 goal contributions across all competitions so far this season, which is a tally that most forwards across the Premier League would be extremely proud of.
Postecoglou claimed that Son’s output in the final third still puts him among the very best in the world, claiming that he showed signs against Ipswich of how effective he can be when he is well-rested.
When asked if the Tottenham star still belongs among the elite forwards in the world, the Spurs boss responded (via Yahoo Sport): “His ability to beat players, even in tight areas, is elite. His finishing I think is elite. Sonny’s benefitted from the fact he’s been able to have a break between games.
“We saw that on the weekend after being able to recover from one game to another and having a full week to get his energy levels back, he was outstanding, particularly in the first half. And he was great before.
“You never want to try to predict with players like Sonny how long he will go for because those kinds of players I think always defy whatever odds there are because of the way they look after themselves and conduct themselves, the levels.
“Even this year, as difficult as it has been for us, I think his numbers still stack up. You weigh him up against any winger in the league, he’s still going to be top five. He’s probably been top five in the nine or 10 years he’s been here.
“Not many would rank with Sonny in terms of output on a consistent basis from his position. He’s top 10 per cent of players in his position in the Premier League. Those are the facts and if he’s continuing to do that, there’s nothing to say he should slow down.”
Heung-min Son will be licking his lips ahead of Man City clash
One would not bet against Son once again making a decisive impact this afternoon, with Man City having been one of his favourite opponents over the course of his Tottenham career.
The way Pep Guardiola’s men play means that he will have a lot of space to exploit on the counterattack, which is usually when the former Bayer Leverkusen man is at his best.