Son Heung-min admits he came close to quitting Tottenham last season
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min admitted he was “really close to giving up” due to an extremely painful hernia suffered last season.
The former Bayer Leverkusen frontman has been a star performer for the North London side over the past few seasons. Since arriving at Spurs in 2015, Son has gone on to score 145 goals in all competitions.
However, last term did not reach his usual standards. The 31-year-old scored just 14 goals in all competitions - the lowest total of his Tottenham career since his debut campaign. He has now opened up on the reason why he did not reach his full potential.
Son has revealed he was suffering from a hernia injury, with the pain so severe that it almost made him hang his boots up. Speaking during Spurs’ pre-season tour to Singapore, he said: “I was really close to giving up against Leeds.
"But when I looked at the staff I couldn’t say ‘there’s one more game and I’m going to have surgery now’. I was just closing my eyes praying, please let’s win this game and luckily we performed last season.”
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Son is now firmly on the mend having made the decision to undergo surgery for the injury during the off-season. Giving a further insight into the pain he experienced, he added: “I was in pain every single moment, literally. It sounds weird but every turn, running, stopping, passing, kicking, it affected everything.
Son Heung-min endured a difficult time of things last season (Getty Images)How many goals do you think Son Heung-min will score this season? Share your predictions in the comments below
“It was strange because in normal life, doing no exercise, it felt fine so you go on the pitch excited because you didn’t have pain when you were walking.
“As soon as you were on the pitch for a warm-up you would be frustrated because the pain is there, every action, turning, passing, kicking… finally I made the decision at the end of the season to have the surgery and it’s the best decision I ever made.”
Son has two years left to run on his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but actually had a chance to leave the club this summer. He was targeted by the Saudi Pro League earlier in the summer but turned down the offer.
Speaking at the time, he said: “If I wanted to go there [Saudi Arabia], I would not be here [Spurs’ pre-season tour]! I love playing football. Obviously money is also important but I dream for playing (in the) Premier League.”
Spurs will likely to be desperate to keep hold of Son this summer given Harry Kane ’s position at the club. He has just one year left on his contract in North London, with Bayern Munich chasing his services.
The current window represents Spurs’ final opportunity to earn a considerable fee for Kane. Club owner Joe Lewis is understood to have told chairman Daniel Levy he will not let Kane run down his contract and leave for free next summer, and has instead issued an ultimatum of a new contract or a sale.
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