Tottenham Hotspur has suffered a significant blow as their captain, Son Heung-min, did not travel to Frankfurt for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ange Postecoglou, the Spurs boss, confirmed that Son is the only key player who will be absent for this important game.
Son, aged 32, played for 80 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Eintracht in the first leg held in London last week.
The South Korean star subsequently sat out the 4-2 Premier League defeat to Wolves on Sunday.
Speaking upon arrival in Germany, Postecoglou explained his captain`s absence: “Sonny didn`t travel, and he’s the only one who didn’t. He has been experiencing foot pain for a couple of weeks.”
This season, Son has been in excellent form, scoring seven Premier League goals and providing 10 assists.
In the Europa League, he has added three more goals and has played in 43 matches across all competitions this season.
In the game against Wolves, Mathys Tel, a loanee, took Son`s place on the left wing and scored a goal.
Wilson Odobert, Tel`s French teammate, was also absent at Wolves but has traveled to Germany.
Tottenham received good news with the return of Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison from injury on Sunday.
Kulusevski, 24, had been sidelined since February 26, following the 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
Richarlison had been out of action since the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat against Liverpool in January, but he marked his return with a goal against Wolves.
Kevin Danso is also available for selection again, providing Postecoglou with more options.
Danso, a January signing, has been recovering from a hamstring injury for approximately six weeks.
Micky van de Ven was on the bench against Wolves, with Ben Davies partnering Cristian Romero, who was not at his best.
It is expected that Van de Ven will return to partner Romero in central defense for the upcoming game in Germany.
Speaking before the match, Van de Ven stated, “We all still trust the manager and believe in his playing style. We want to win this game for him and for ourselves.”
The 23-year-old, who has played 11 Premier League games this season, added, “Why I don’t play every week is a question for the manager, not for me. I want to play every game. Football is my greatest passion.”
Apart from Son, Radu Dragusin, who is a long-term absentee, is the only other player unavailable for tomorrow’s match.
