18 October 2023 , 12:12
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Ange Postecoglou is sweating over the fitness of Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero ahead of Tottenham's clash with Fulham.
Spurs are back in Premier League action on Monday when their London rivals travel across the capital. Postecoglou's side are hoping to continue their superb campaign after picking up 20 points from their first eight league games to sit top of the table.
Yet it's unclear whether captain Son or defender Romero will be fit to face Fulham following the international break. Son is nursing a groin injury, while Romero was forced out of Argentina's 2-0 win against Peru on Tuesday with an ankle complaint.
Son was left on the bench for South Korea's 4-0 win against Tunisia on Friday but started and finished their 6-0 victory against Vietnam on Tuesday, scoring his country's fourth goal. Yet he did show signs of discomfort towards the end of Tuesday's game.
Despite it being a friendly, Son was keen to get through the triumph against Vietnam. He insists injuries are "inevitable", with Tottenham fans hoping their skipper shows the same level of determination to play for the Premier League leaders on Monday.
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Son said: "Injuries are an inevitable part of living as a footballer. I was worried about whether to play in today’s game, but I couldn’t accept coming to Korea and not playing in front of the fans. I discussed with the coach and told him I would play in the game. I couldn’t participate much in training, but I’m grateful to the coach for respecting my decision."
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Ironically, South Korea's manager is Tottenham legend Jurgen Klinsmann. The German added: "The original plan was to play 90 minutes. The muscle injury did not recur, and there was no problem when checked at the 60th minute."
Romero is a bigger concern for Postecoglou after failing to finish Argentina's latest victory. The centre-back suffered the injury within two minutes of the World Cup qualifier but managed to continue until half-time. Argentina are yet to provide an update.
Postecoglou hopes to have Brennan Johnson available for Tottenham's clash against Fulham after recovering from a hamstring injury. Rodrigo Bentancur is close to making his comeback from a long-term knee injury but won't play again until at least next month.
Ryan Sessegnon is also expected to make his comeback in November after undergoing hamstring surgery in the summer, while Manor Solomon will be out until at least December with a knee problem. Ivan Perisic is out for the season with a serious knee injury.